At the dawn of another decade, New York’s expansion and cultural influence show no signs of slowing. The New York Public Library’s main branch was completed and just a few blocks away, Grand Central Terminal was rebuilt to a luxurious standard, moving thousands of commuters a day. Pennsylvania Station – an architectural marvel in its own right was also completed during this time, along with The North River Tunnels which would connect New York with New Jersey.
One of the city's busiest intersections filled with shoppers, commuters. The streets are packed with horses and carriages.
Photograph of an elevated perspective of Trinity Church and its surrounding buildings.
A bird's eye view of midtown Manhattan featuring the recently completed Grant Central Terminal.
Photograph of The Vanderbilt Hotel which was built at 4 Park Avenue, between East 33rd and 34th Street in 1910-13, and designed by Warren & Wetmore.
Madison Square Garden at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street. Madison Square is named after James Madison, America's 4th president.
Photograph shows the James Speyer house, to the right, a mansion at 1058 Fifth Avenue, on the southeast corner of 87th Street,
Aerial photograph of the newly completed Pennsylvania Station shows off the elaborate masonry and scale of this highly ambitious building.
Photograph from an elevated perspective showing 32nd and 33rd Street and 7th Avenue and the facade of Pennsylvania Station as horses and carriages pass by.
Pedestrians walk in front of the recently completed Penn Station - whose opulence and grand design would make it one of the city's most cherished landmarks.
Photograph of pedestrians commuting at the Pennsylvania Station, where the Long Island Railroad opened to the public on September the 8th, 1910.
Passengers in the waiting room at Pennsylvania Station, with statue of Alexander Johnston Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
Photograph of construction workers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard building a large timber framed ship from the keel up.
Photograph showing the construction of the USS New York at Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Shoeshine stand beneath the Third Avenue elevated train in the East Village
Photograph of a Frank Villanello, tending his father's shoe shine stand located at 21 Greenwich Avenue
Photograph of Minnie Paster, a 10 year old having to work and tend a newspaper stand at Bowery & Bond
Young folk selling gum at the exit from the downtown side of the Lexington Avenue subway station
Theodore Roosevelt between Mayor Gaynor and Cornelius Vanderbilt, with hand outstretched to greet Rough Riders at a NYC parade thrown in his honor.
Dramatic image of Manhattan's downtown skyline behind the East River shows steam rising from various smoke stacks. Photographed by Alfred Stieglitz.
Photograph of the Manhattan Bridge, includes Brooklyn, the East River and downtown Manhattan.
Aerial photograph of the Upper West Side including RIverside Drive north of 74th Street.
Panoramic vista of the Hudson River Narrows and its once rural environment. A large cruise ship is seen making its way north along the river.
Photograph of New Yorkers enjoying Bryant Park in front of the New York Public Library.
Aerial photograph of the Herald Square elevated railroad and Sixth Avenue near 34th Street.
Overhead photograph shows Sixth Avenue packed with pedestrians and shoppers along the path of the elevated train.
Two young messenger boys converse in front of a carriage near Union Square. Most of the messengers worked for telegraph companies or pharmacies.
A citywide heatwave proves to be challenging for all of its inhabitants, especially horses which were still largely responsible for work and transportation.
Group of men gathered at Union Square helping local horses to stay hydrated during a particularly hot summer.
Photograph of a charity which provided free shower baths for horses exhausted from heatwaves which are typical of summer in the city.
Photo shows a horse-drawn garbage wagon with its load dumped in the street during a New York City garbage strike which occurred from November 8-11.
Photograph of firemen on their way to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in Greenwich Village.
Photograph of firemen as they battle the fatal blaze which engulfed the Triangle Waist Company in flames, claiming 146 lives.
A Trade Union procession for Triangle Waist Co. fire victims. This event would mark the beginning of labor movements and laws to protect workers.
Photograph of crowds gathering for the opening of New York's iconic Public Library on May 23rd, 1911.
Photograph shows Longacre Square, now named Times Square, with theaters, shops, hotels, and the Times Building.
Photograph of Longacre (Times) Square shows the New York Theatre on left and Hotel Cadillac in the background.
Photograph of pedestrians and horse drawn carriages on Wall Street looking, east from Nassau Street.
A senior citizen is doubled over as she carries a stack of textiles across Lafayette Street below Astor Place.
Photograph of immigrants waiting to be transferred at Ellis Island on October 30, 1912. Manhattan's downtown skyline is visible in the distance.
The automobile would become an attraction all its own. Local children were willing to pay 2 cents ($0.50 today) for a ride around the block.
Photograph of automobiles lined up to take orphans for a day of fun at Coney Island's famous Luna Park thanks to the efforts of local charities.
Photograph shows an overhead view of cars and trolleys making their way down Surf Avenue at the entrance to Coney Island's Luna Park.
Photograph of Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday. Automobiles had become were already beginning to supplant the city's use of trolleys and horse drawn carriages.
Photograph of a crowded Fifth Avenue filled with pedestrians and automobiles on Easter Sunday.
Photograph of a large crowd gathered on Fifth Avenue in celebration of Easter.
Photo shows Fifth Avenue on Easter day, March 23, 1913. New York Public Library on left and spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral in distance.
An aerial perspective of Columbus Circle and Central Park, looking south. The Circle Theater is visible in the foreground.
Photograph of a street vendor selling newspapers and magazines on Fifth Avenue near Madison Square Park.
Photograph of a crowded scene at Union Square for May Day - an ancient festival of spring celebrated by European cultures.
Photograph shows overhead view of crowds tightly packed into Union Square for May Day.
Photograph shows lines of circus elephants followed by clowns in a parade looking north on 8th Avenue at West 48th Street.
A photograph of Yankees president Frank Farrell making a presentation to team manager Harry Wolverton.
Photograph showing an aerial perspective of Polo Grounds, where the NY Highlanders have taken the field.
Photograph of spectators enjoying a Yankees game at the Polo Grounds.
Photograph shows baseball players Christy Mathewson (New York NL) (center) and Jeff Tesreau (New York NL) (left) during a 1913 World Series game.
An excellent overhead view of the front facade of Ellis Island's Immigration Station with a boat docked in front.
A derby-topped gentleman observing the harbor form the observation roof on one wing of the Immigration Station.
A bird's eye view of Manhattan's famous skyline, including the Singer Building and the newly completed Woolworth Building.
New York Public Library as seen from a building across intersection of East 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, showing the front and east facades, as well as automobile and pedestrian traffic.
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.
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.
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:
There are currently 714 photos, lithographs, illustrations and maps on this site. Each one has been digitally restored and cleaned up by hand, which makes this collection truly unique.
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.
History101.nyc is an ad-free and non-profit learning resource. We do not sell prints of these images. All operational costs are covered by Fine Print NYC
Absolutely! Feel free to send us an email with a preview of the image and we will let you know if it's a good fit for the archives.
We welcome any feedback that you may have. If it proves to be historically accurate the changes will be reflected on the site shortly after our correspondence.
We have collaborated with NYC's Municipal Archives, The Tenemant Museum, Bronx Historical Society and a number of prominent NYC photographers to produce a series of limited edition postcards which free of charge, but only available via street distribution, primarily in Manhattan.
Yes, we can repair, restore and cleanup your old family photos, slides and negatives. You can either send us the digital files or the original photos to be professionally scanned.
We can restore just about any level of damage or signs of aging, within reason. As long as most of the photo is intact we cn work with it. The one flaw we cannot fix is source material that is blurry. A poorly take photo can only be improved so much.
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.