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Harris Pierce photographs

Call Number

PR 270

Date

1888-1900, inclusive

Creator

Pierce, Harris

Extent

5.5 Linear feet

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

Photographs of street gradings and improvements, as well as residences and businesses in the Bronx during the mid 1890s. Digital copies of the images in the collection are available on-line through the Digital Collections pages of N-YHS's website.

Biographical Note

Little is known about Harris Pierce, but his stamp appears on the verso of the photographs, and gives his address as 1921 Oostdorp Ave and his profession as 'Photographer'. Oostdorp St. is the former name of the present Bryant Avenue from East Tremont Avenue to Bronx Park. 1921 Oostdorp Avenue was on the west side, south of E 177th Street and north of Boston Road. Trow's New York City Directory lists Harris Pierce's profession from 1883-1908 as 'Stenographer' at various addresses on Nassau Street, with his home in the West Farms area of the Bronx.

The photographs appear to have been made as evidence in supporting the cases of claimants filing for damages against the city. Some of the photographs are mounted on boards with a form on the verso for recording information about the image. The form includes the names of Thomas S. Bassford and Ernest Hall, lawyers representing the claimants.

Arrangement

Arranged by street name, then unidentified photographs by building type.

Scope and Content Note

The Harris Pierce photographs span the period from 1888-1900 and primarily include 300 gelatin silver photographs of residences and businesses during the grading and improvements of streets in the Bronx. The photographs include views of the construction of sewers, construction sites, street improvements and grading, residences, vegetable gardens, children, churches, and businesses such as grocery stores, brewers and liquor stores, bakers, barbers, plumbers, and real estate offices. The photographs also include views of the New York Central Harlem Line and train stations such as the Tremont Station, social clubs such as the Suburban Club, the Artistic Bronze Co., the American Pie Baking Co., and stables and feed stores.

Most of the photographs are marked on the verso with either the street address or the block and lot numbers. The majority of the photographs were made along Webster Avenue, Vanderbilt (now Park) Avenue, Brooke Avenue, and Washington Avenue from 144th Street in the south to 178th Street in the north. Many of the photographs were made along Vanderbilt Avenue, which from E 161 St to 167 St was the 19th century name for the present Park Avenue. Below 161 Street the avenue was referred to as Railroad Avenue, or RR Avenue. The photographs marked with either street addresses or intersections in brackets were given based on the block and lot numbers. These addresses were derived by consulting the 1897 Atlas of the City of New York: 23rd & 24th Wards from Actual Surveys and Official Plans by George W. and Walter S. Bromley.

The block numbers given on the photographs are numbers from prior to the annexation of 1895, including those photographs that are dated after that year. In 1874 the city of New York annexed the area of the Bronx south of Yonkers and west of the Bronx River from Westchester County. This area was given block and lot numbers that were used until the 1895 annexation of the Bronx east of the Bronx River. After 1895 the numbering system for blocks was changed. The new (post-1895) block numbers can be found on maps after 1895 with the 'old' numbers marked in parentheses. It appears that the photographer was using the term 'ward number' for what was actually the lot number. All the photographs were made in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth wards (the Bronx).

Photographs that could not be identified based on the geographic location of the subject were placed into the "Unidentified" folders and further divided by type of building: commercial, empty lots, and residences. These photographs include many of the same subjects as the identified photographs, but lack both block and lot numbers and street addresses.

The only photograph in the collection that is known not to have been made by Harris Pierce is the view of 1940 Park Avenue taken by Louis C. Bennett.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Harris Pierce photographs, PR 270, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Herbert Berger-Hershkowitz, 6 July 2007.

Related Material at the Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections

For other materials relating to the Bronx see the Geographic File (PR 020), and for transportation in the Bronx see the Subway Construction Photograph Collection (PR 069).

On-line Digital Collection

Digital copies of the images in the collection were made by N-YHS and are available on-line through the Digital Collections pages of N-YHS's website.

Other Finding Aids

A detailed spreadsheet listing all the photographs in the collection with property owner, address, block and lot number, date, and building type can be found in the collection file in the Print Room.

Collection processed by

Lucas Buresch and Kelly McAnnaney

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:49:30 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from pierce.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024