The 1890s were a pivotal point in NYC history. Washington Square Arch, Carnegie Hall are built and the New York Public Library established while the U.S. Immigrant Inspection Station begins operating on Ellis Island. The City of Greater New York created, consolidating the existing City of New York with the eastern Bronx, Brooklyn, most of Queens County, and Staten Island.
The Port of New York - a bird's eye view from the Battery, looking south.
The Dewey Arch was a triumphal arch that stood from 1899 to 1900 at Madison Square in Manhattan. It was erected for a parade in honor of Admiral George Dewey.
An aerial photograph of Park Row, also known as Newspaper Row as it became the epicenter of 19th century news.
Photograph of commuters waiting to board a New York City streetcar, headed towards 23rd Street and Broadway.
Photograph of horse drawn trolleys on a snow covered street in Manhattan
Photograph of the Waldorf-Astoria built in 1893 on 5th Avenue, south from 35th Street.
Photograph of a busy East side street lined with Jewish markets and filled with pedestrians.
Aerial photograph above Union Square filled with people and horses and the Lincoln Statue in the foreground.
Photograph of the Decker Building overlooking Union Square. The structure was completed in 1892 for the Decker Brothers piano company, and designed by John H. Edelmann.
Photograph of Broadway near John Street filled with carriages and pedestrians.
Photograph showing elevated railroad, delivery wagons, streetcars, buildings and people in lower Manhattan.
Photograph of the Statue of Liberty with her torch illuminating the sky over New York Harbor.
Photograph of the Fulton Ferry crossing the East River with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.
Photograph of the curved overpass at Brooklyn Terminal, New York & Brooklyn Bridge.
Photograph of a city worker sweeping the street in front of a corner grocery store.
Photograph of a horse drawn cart and a man collecting ashes from local furnaces.
Photograph taken for a poster design of a winter scene on a snowy street.
Photograph of a busy street in front of Saint Paul's Church and Astor House.
Photograph of a street scene in front of Grand Central Depot, at the time the largest interior space in the nation.
Photograph looking down the tracks of the elevated railroad on 6th Avenue near 16th Street.
Photograph of mourners gathering for the dedication of Grant's Tomb taken from the river front.
Photograph of the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel, taken from East of Fifth Avenue on the North Side of 34th Street.
The Croton Aqueduct water system (Murray Hill Reservoir) started construction in 1837 and opened to great fanfare on October 14, 1842.
An aerial view of Columbia University campus, including Low Library and Milbank Hall.
Photograph of the streets after a blizzard, snow carts have been deployed to clear the roads for traffic.
Photograph of snow carts lined up next to the river to dump snow after a blizzard.
Photograph of a Harlem street covered in snow after the blizzard of Feb. 13, 1899.
Photograph of a rain soaked street, illuminated by streetlamps which are reflected on the ground.
Welcome to the History of New York City - A Unique Online Gallery of NYC's Origins, Curated and Digitally Restored by Fine Print New York.
We're opening our archives to present this Collection of Vintage Photos, Historical Images and Rare Lithographs. This Exclusive Series of High Quality Art Prints are only Available for Purchase Exclusively on this Site.
We cover a great portion of the city's history, ranging from its earliest days as New Amsterdam to the late 1980s. Artists are currently working on photos from the 90s to present day,
Here's a current list of what is covered:
Art prints are engineered to stand out. They are are digital restorations of photographs, lithographs, paintings and other historic works of art. These prints require a higher resolution press than standard posters, and are printed on archival-quality paper or a flat textured wallpaper substrate.
Yes, Art prints are typically more expensive than posters. Considering the additional value in both execution and material, along with the exclusive nature of this collection. While many of the images on this site were originally public domain, most of them were damaged or of subpar quality. Our graphic designers have spent countless hours restoring each one to current HD standards.
It is rare to encounter this level of curation, or the restorative drive required to retouch hundreds of photos by hand. There are already tons of online poster shops who gladly sell you cheap prints, but we're definitely not that type of shop and believe our pricing to be a of fair value for the quality being produced.
Discounts for Educational Institutions are available upon inquiry.
Digital licenses are available for educational institutions (schools, universities, non-profit organizations). Please contact legal@fineprintnyc.com to discuss conditions for licensing.
NOTE: Any form of commercialization or redistribution of these images, either as tangible goods or third party licenses, is expressly forbidden.
Joseph Gornail, printer/photographer and founder of Fine Print New York. Joseph grew up in SoHo, Manhattan and is part of a long lineage of NYC printers, learning the family trade from his grandfather. While working for Dolo Records/Stretch Armstrong in 1996, Joseph founded All City Marketing & Printing, and in 1999 Co-Founded the legendary street wear company "Orchard Street " with lifelong friends Benjamin Holloway and Greig Bennett. Fine Print NYC was established in 2004 with a Nike project being the launchpad for a commercial printing company that has not only survived, but thrived in the digital age.
Steven Garcia, designer/illustrator and creative director of Fine Print New York. Born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Steven attended Fashion Industries High School and F.I.T. before building a successful career at Saatchi & Saatchi for as a professional retoucher and storyboard artist in 1995. Steven started ShinyDesign in 1998 and partnered with Fine Print in 2004 as the exclusive design firm for the company. Steven has independently worked on major advertising campaigns for many brands over the years, such as Snapple, The Waldorf Astoria and Sony to name a few.
Together, Joseph & Steven are responsible for the curation and direction of the History101.nyc project, which has been under development since 2006. They have a long history of collaborating together, going back as far as 2001 when Joseph was gallery manager and Steven was a curator at The New York City Urban Experience, an art gallery & museum that was located at 85 South Street and owned by Mike Saes of the Nike Bridge Runners and True Yorkers.
315 Madison Avenue • NYC 10017 • (212)619-5446 • art@fineprintnyc.com
History101.NYC is an ad-free learning resource available to the public at no charge.
This project is dedicated to exploring New York’s fascinating heritage through the restoration of vintage photographs and prints.