Formerly known as Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed in 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the then newly erected Times Building, now One Times Square. It is the site of the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop, which began on December 31, 1907, and continues to attract over a million visitors to Times Square every year
The bright lights of Times Square are not a new phenomenon as this picture reveals, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Voters congregate near the Times Building at the "Great White Way" (Broadway from 42nd to 34th Sts.)
A daytime photograph of Times Square and the New Times Building, with pedestrians and trolleys in the foreground.
A night time photograph of Broadway and Times Square looking North from 45th Street.
A group of onlookers crowd around the Post Office's Air Mail plane in the middle of Times Square.
Photograph of wet street and pavements at Time Square with the Times Building barely visible through the rain.
Photograph of an iconic Times Square advertisement for Camel Cigarettes, featuring actual smoke blowing onto the street.
Photograph of traffic and pedestrians with umbrellas walking along Times Square in midtown Manhattan.
Photograph of sailors and civilians watching an electronic sign in Times Square for news of D-Day invasion.
Crowd of people, many waving, in Times Square on V-J Day at time of announcement of the Japanese surrender in 1945.
Photograph of a sailor kissing an unknown woman in Times Square upon the announcement of Japan's surrender.
Crowds Gather in Times Square to Celebrate V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day) on Tuesday August 14, 1945
A portrait of musicians Art Hodes, Kaiser Marshall, Henry (Clay) Goodwin, Sandy Williams, and Cecil (Xavier) Scott, playing on the back of a wagon in Times Square.
Photograph of jazz musicians Art Hodes, Kaiser Marshall, Henry (Clay) Goodwin, Sandy Williams, and Cecil (Xavier) Scott at Times Square.
Photograph of Times Square showing advertisements and businesses such as the Crossroad's Cafe and Nedicks.
Aerial Photograph of a busy night in Times Square, illuminated by its many billboards, storefronts and the lights of passing traffic.
Photograph looking north at traffic along 7th Avenue facing Times Square with its many billboards and storefronts.
Photograph of Marquee in Times Square - The neighborhood would become renowned for go-go bars and peep show establishments.
Actresses Millette Alexander and Louise King, and nightclub entertainer Ted Lewis, stand outside a giant mailbox stamp selling booth in Times Square, New York City, while Assistant Postmaster Aquiline F. Weierich dispenses stamps from inside booth
Photograph of gridlock traffic in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.
A sailor on liberty during Fleet Week photographs a New York City policeman on horseback in Times Square.
Three sailors stop to look around Times Square while on liberty during Fleet Week.
Learn all about NYC’s distant past as "Mannahatta" or the "Island of Many Hills".
Research the natural forces that shaped the environment, along with the people who formed the landscape and culture.
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.