The 1940s would mark a turning point in how society shares information thanks to widespread adoption of television. The first two TV stations in the city, WNBT (now WNBC) and WCBW (now WCBS-TV) signed on the air for the first time. This era would also mark the beginning of another World War, and an inevitable wave of migrants seeking refuge from war-torn Europe. In the midst of this global drama, the New York City Opera was founded and New York Fashion Week began, further establishing the city’s empire of industry and the arts.
Photograph of commuters at Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse, bathed in sunlight streaming through its majestic windows.
Soldiers and sailors line up inside the concourse of Pennsylvania Station.
Photograph of dock workers moving cargo at Fulton Fish Market with Manhattans' downtown skyscrapers visible in the background.
Portrait of Ella Watson standing in front of the American flag with mop and broom.
Exterior view of 16 Greenwich Street and adjoining buildings beneath the shadow of the elevated railroad tracks.
Photograph of three men walking down the street past on of Harlem's nightclubs.
Exterior view of old buildings at the corner of Battery Place and Washington Street from southwest.
Photograph of a vast crowd of trucks and horse-drawn carts at the Wallabout Market in Brooklyn, New York.
Photograph of a market of Italian push carts selling produce on Arthur & Crescent Avenues in the Bronx.
Photograph of a taxi driver polishing the hood of his car in front of a row of brownstones.
Photograph of a diner, shoeshine booth and various printed advertisements near the corner of a block in Harlem.
Photograph of a fruit stand vendor waiting on customers on a corner in Harlem.
Photograph of South Street with downtown Manhattan's iconic skyline in the background.
Photograph of cars parked in front of the buildings in facing Battery Park, between Washington And Greenwich Streets.
An aerial photograph of lower Manhattan overlooking Battery Park as part of a survey of Greenwich Street.
Photograph of an iconic Times Square advertisement for Camel Cigarettes, featuring actual smoke blowing onto the street.
Photograph of sailors and civilians watching an electronic sign in Times Square for news of D-Day invasion.
Photograph of wet street and pavements at Time Square with the Times Building barely visible through the rain.
Photograph of traffic and pedestrians with umbrellas walking along Times Square in midtown Manhattan.
Photograph of midtown commuters waiting at a platform for the Third Avenue elevated train.
Aerial photograph of Manhattan looking north over Washington and Greenwich Streets with Trinity Place on the right.
Photograph of empty barrels, stacked and ready for loading at the Fulton Fish Market.
Photograph of a US Navy sailor standing on the pier at Fulton Fish Market in downtown Manhattan.
Photograph of the Fulton Fish Market, with downtown skyscrapers barely visible in the morning fog.
Evening photograph of a man hosing down the streets of Fulton Fish Market after hours.
Photograph of a pushcart fruit vendor at Fulton Fish Market with downtown Manhattan skyscrapers visible in the background.
Photograph of a worker unloading at the Fulton Fish Market docks against a backdrop of downtown skyscrapers.
View of The Apollo Theater and 125th Street, illuminated by street signs at night.
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.