Guide to the Lower East Side Photograph Collection
1901
PR 251
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 873-3400
© 2011 New-York Historical Society
Collection processed by Kelly McAnnaney
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit
on December 13, 2011
Description is in
English.
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | Lower East Side Photograph Collection |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1901 |
| Abstract: | Photographs show the neighborhood surrounding Delancey Street in New York City; the buildings and streets shown, many serving a Jewish immigrant population, were subsequently demolished during the construction of the Williamsburg Bridge. |
| Quantity: | 4.02 Linear feet (3 boxes) |
| Location note: | Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections |
| Call Phrase: | PR 251 |
Historical Note
When New York City's Williamsburg Bridge, originally called the East River Bridge, was designed, a plaza was provided at each end. It was decided that a clear space, at least 32 feet wide, was needed on each side of the bridge to protect the structure from fire, as well as to prevent accident to adjoining buildings. This design required the city to clear all existing properties from an area measuring 150 feet, along the south side of Delancey Street, from the East River, west to Clinton Street.
Construction of the bridge began on November 7, 1896. The following year, the East River Bridge Commission began to purchase the needed properties from their owners. However, after some legal issues, the commission was forced to acquire the majority of land through condemnation. An estimated 10,000 people in the Lower East Side neighborhood were displaced by the project.
Scope and Content Note
The Lower East Side Photograph Collection spans the period from March to June 1901 and contains sixty-three silver gelatin photographs of buildings, on and around Delancey Street, before they were demolished to build the Williamsburg Bridge. The photographs show the markets, shops, saloons, and other businesses in the area, signs for many of these are in Hebrew. The images also capture the residents of the neighborhood, including several children, on the street and peering from windows. This neighborhood survey provides a unique view of life in this predominately Jewish neighborhood.
N. L. Coe, a photographer with a studio located at 681 Broadway, took all but two photographs in the collection. The remaining two images are marked "A. J. Drummond." They are all mounted on board and hand labeled, with the addresses written on the board, and sometimes directly on the image itself. While they may have been commissioned by the city, or made for personal use, it is not known why these photographs were taken.
Arrangement
Photographs are first alphabetized by street and then arranged by address.
Access Points
Subject Names
- Coe, N.L. -- photographer
Document Type
- Gelatin silver prints
Subject Topics
- Jews -- New York (State) -- New York
- Poor -- New York (State) -- New York -- Pictorial works
- Streets -- New York (State) -- New York
- Tenement houses -- New York (State) -- New York
- Working classes -- Dwellings
Subject Places
- Lower East Side (New York, N.Y.) -- Pictorial works
- New York (N.Y.) -- Pictorial works
- New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs
Administrative Information
Provenance
Gift of John W. Judge, May 11, 1905.
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. See guidelines in Print Room for details.
Use Restrictions
Permission to reproduce any Print Room holdings through publication must be obtained
from:
Rights and Reproductions
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 270
Fax: (212) 579-8794
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as Lower East Side Photograph Collection, PR 251, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Container List
|
Scope and Contents notePhotographs are first alphabetized by street and then arranged by address. |
||||
| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box: 1 | Folder : 1 | Attorney Street, 63-71 & 64-68 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 2 | Cannon Street, 35-43 & 44-46 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 3 | Clinton Street, 112-118 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 4 | Columbia Street, 36-46 & 35-43 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 5 | Delancey Street, 169-199 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 6 | Delancey Street, 201-209 |
[1901] | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 7 | Delancey Street, 219-223 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 8 | Delancey Street, 233-239 & 241-243 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 9 | Delancey Street, 251-259, 269-281 & 293-299 |
1901 Mar-Apr | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 10 | Delancey Street, 305-323 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 11 | Goerck Street, 36-38 & 37-49 |
1901 Mar-Jun | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 12 | Lewis Street, 35-39 & 36-38 |
1901 Mar-Jun | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 13 | Lewis Street, 41 & 38-42 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 3 | Folder : 14 | Mangin Street, 30 & 35-41 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 3 | Folder : 15 | Pitt Street, 31-41 & 38-44 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 3 | Folder : 16 | Ridge Street, 55-63 & 56-64 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 3 | Folder : 17 | Sheriff Street, 35-39 & 38-44 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 3 | Folder : 18 | Tompkins Street, 21 |
1901 Mar | |
| Box: 3 | Folder : 19 | Willett Street, 34-38 & 35-43 |
1901 Mar | |
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