In the late 50s New York is still coasting on the success of the previous decade. The economy is strong and the population has just passed 7.7 million people. Air travel has become affordable for the working class, leading to the construction of TWAs iconic terminal, and a lot more immigration. Puerto Rico becomes a US territory, granting citizenship to its inhabitants and establishing a strong link between the City of Dreams and the caribbean’s richest port. The Puerto Rican Parade begins its yearly celebration and the musical “West Side Story” becomes a box office hit. The Guggenheim Museum building opens and The Village Voice newspaper begins publication. A sister city relationship is established with Tokyo, Japan – a move which benefits both communities in the long term while increasing the City’s international profile.
Panoramic photograph of Manhattan's skyline taken from Roosevelt Island, known at the time as "Welfare Island".
Photograph of cars parked along Broadway & Fulton Street in front of St. Paul's Chapel in downtown Manhattan.
Historic American Buildings Survey photograph showing the church yard of St. Paul's Chapel from the west, framed by Broadway & Fulton Streets.
Photograph of The Bowery and Delancey Street showing cars at a stoplight and signs for the People's Bar, and the Crystal Hotel and Pioneer Hotel in distance.
Photograph of architect Balthazar Korab with a scale model of his proposed design for the Trans World Airlines Terminal and John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens.
Photograph of an exterior wall of the Trans World Airlines Terminal which highlights its mid-century modern aesthetic.
Photograph of TWA Terminal Interior. On the left we see the mezzanine support structure with ticket counters beyond the right.
Art poster featuring an abstract interpretation of Times Square in New York with a TWA jet and jetstream at the top of the image.
Photograph shows beacon lights beaming brightly from atop the Empire State Building at night illuminating the clouds in the sky.
Photograph of two women in striped sweaters chatting on a sidewalk corner near East 41st Street.
Photograph of a man in shorts with feathered cap, standing on a street curb with Macy's department store in the background.
Photograph of a woman holding an umbrella and leaning on a bannister against a bustling backdrop of pedestrians, traffic, and storefronts.
Photograph of Marquee in Times Square - The neighborhood would become renowned for go-go bars and peep show establishments.
Photograph of Rivington Street bustling with pedestrians against a backdrop of business signs and the local elevated railroad.
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.