The 30s would mark a far less jubilant period as the City would come to grips with the grim reality of the Great Depression. An economy at record lows and unemployment at all time highs would take place in the ironic shadow of the city’s growing skyline, which now includes The Chrysler Building and the RCA Building.
Stunning photograph of a daredevil construction worker at the Empire State Building, soaring above Manhattan like Icarus himself.
Aerial photograph taken from inside the growing structure of the Empire State Building. An epic view of downtown Manhattan is framed by the silhouette of a massive crane hook and steel beam.
Photograph of two construction workers, perched atop the steel framework of the Empire State Building.
The first twenty floors of the Empire State Building are being constructed. There is no visible facade yet, only the steel beam structure and scaffolding of construction workers.
The Empire State Building's ground floors are clad in Indiana limestone panels, sourced from the Empire Mill in Sanders, Indiana, which give the building its signature blonde color.
Bird's eye view of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building, about 75% complete with half of its steel structure visible.
Aerial photograph of a lone construction worker working on the steel structure of the Empire State Building.
A work clings to the steel framing of the future Empire State Building with a bird's eye view of Midtown Manhattan, many stories below him.
Aerial photograph of Midtown Manhattan with the Chrysler Building as the focal point.
Photograph of the Chrysler Building, designed by architect William Van Alen and completed on May 27, 1930.
Full length photograph of The Chrysler Building at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
A view of Manhattan's midtown skyline from Queens. Visible in this photograph are both the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.
Photograph looking up Madison Avenue, north of 49th Street, full of cars and pedestrians with a political banner for the New York Young Democratic Club hanging overhead.
Photograph of the East River and Manhattan's famous downtown skyline taken from Brooklyn.
A bird-s eye perspective of Midtown Manhattan, looking northeast towards The Chrysler Building.
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:
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.