The New York City Municipal Archives just released a database of over 870,000 photos from its collection of more than 2.2 million images of New York throughout the 20th century. Their subjects include daily life, construction, crime, city business, aerial photographs, and more.
Sunlight floods in through windows in the vaulted main room of New York City's Grand Central Terminal, illuminating the main concourse, ticket windows and information kiosk. Photo taken ca. 1935-1941. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives)
Sunlight floods in through windows in the vaulted main room of New York City's Grand Central Terminal, illuminating the main concourse, ticket windows and information kiosk. Photo taken ca. 1935-1941. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives)
Aerial view of New York City, looking north, on December 16, 1951. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
28th Street Looking east from Second Avenue, on April 4, 1931. Google map streetview today here. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Meeker Avenue Bridge under construction, looking south, showing Brooklyn approach, on June 29, 1939 (Joseph Shelderfer/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Shadows are cast beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, seen from a stable roof, on May 6, 1918. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A worker on the Brooklyn Bridge, on November 19, 1928. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Markus Mercury Wheel Club, Flushing Race Track, bicyclists ready to race in June of 1894. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Original City Hall subway station, IRT Lexington Avenue Line, in 1904. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Coney Island looking east from Steeplechase Pier showing Sunday bathers, crowd on beach, on July 30, 1922. (Rutter, Edward E./Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A two-horse team street cleaner, with sprayer, squeegee, and roller at rear. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
An experimental exposure made on the Queensboro Bridge, on February 9, 1910. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Italian vegetable sidewalk stand, on Bleeker Street, near Church of Our Lady of Pompeii, in August of 1937. (Bofinger, E.M./Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Lower Manhattan skyline at night, seen from either the Staten Island Ferry or Governor's Island, in February of 1938. (Bofinger, E. M./Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History, West 81st St, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Red Hook Swimming Pool, Clinton, Bay & Henry Streets, Brooklyn. Bathers as far as the eye can see. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Queensboro Bridge under construction, on August 8, 1907. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
The Queensboro Bridge, showing reconstruction of tracks looking east, on November 22, 1929. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A one-legged newspaper boy and other "newsies", on Delancey Street, on December 26, 1906. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
New York Police Department evidence photo, homicide scene. Jos Kellner, 404 East 54th Street, murdered in hallway, on January 7, 1916. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Powell House at 195th Street and 58th Avenue North, Queens, on May 20, 1941 (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Times Square theaters by day, in New York City. The Times Building, Loew's Theatre, Hotel Astor, Gaiety Theatre and other landmarks are featured in this January, 1938 photo. (Bofinger, E.M./Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
An aerial view of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, on January 27, 1965. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A view from the Williamsburg Bridge, looking west, showing congested traffic in Manhattan, on January 29, 1923. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Painters suspended on cables of the the Brooklyn Bridge, on October 7, 1914. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A Hooverville in Brooklyn, ca. 1930-1932. The area is now Red Hook Park in Brooklyn. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
New York Police Department Evidence photo. Homicide victim - overhead view, ca. 1916-1920. At the corners, note the legs of the tripod supporting the camera above the body. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A Subway Road Comes up for air in Brooklyn -- in background, a view of Manhattan from subway elevated tracks, 8th Street, Brooklyn, New York, on March 21, 1938. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Yankee Stadium, Yankees on the field during a game, ca. 1935-1947. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A man reads a newspaper on New York's 6th Ave. and 40th St, with the headline: "Nazi Army Now 75 Miles From Paris.", on May 18, 1940. (AP Photo/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
New York Fire Department demonstration of a steam pumper converted from horse-drawn to motor-driven, at 12th Avenue and 56th Street. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Men cut ice from Kissena Lake in Queens, ca. 1860-1900. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Children and adults with herd of sheep in the Sheep Meadow in Central Park, New York City, ca. 1900-1910. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Part of the superstructure of the under-construction Manhattan Bridge rises above Washington Street in New York, on June 5, 1908. (AP Photo/Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Manhattan Bridge, under-construction, seen from the roof of Robert Gair Building, showing suspenders and saddles, on February 11, 1909. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Aboard a police boat on October 10, 1934, New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia hacks away at confiscated slot machines about to be destroyed and dumped into New York harbor. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A view down an alley, as rows and rows of laundry hang from tenements ca. 1935-1941. Seen looking west from 70 Columbus Avenue or Amsterdam Avenue at 63nd Street. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A crowded street market under New York City Rail Road tracks, looking south on Park Avenue from 123rd Street in June of 1932. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A night view of Midtown Manhattan, looking south from Madison Avenue and the 50's, ca. 1935-1941. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Amid road construction, the Hudson Diner advertises "Tables for Ladies" on November 20, 1929, on Marginal Street, looking east from 125th Street. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Ninth Avenue El trains with passengers on 2 levels of tracks, 66th Street El station in background, in October of 1933. Photo taken on Columbus Avenue, northwest of Lincoln Square & 65th Street. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
The S.S. Normandie, seen from a Staten Island ship steaming through upper bay on its way to a river pier built for it, ca. 1935-1941. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A view of the city from the Brooklyn Tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, on April 24, 1933. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A view of the city from the New York tower of George Washington Bridge, 168th Street & Hudson River, on December 22, 1936. (Jack Rosenzwieg/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Fire Boats fight a blaze at Grace Line Pier 57, West 15th St, near the National Biscuit Co. building. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Members of the New York Fire Department attend to a fire victim. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
The "Well", US Signal Corps Army Base Terminal, Port of Embarkation. Ration cases from crate cars are hoisted to warehouse bins for storage, ca. 1945-1946. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Water from firefighters' hoses freezes on the side of adjoining buildings. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Interior view of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) subway powerhouse, 58th to 59th Street, ca. 1904. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
42nd Street, looking west from 2nd Avenue. Chrysler Building at top right, "News Tavern" "Goblet Bar" at lower right, ca. 1935-1941. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Brooklyn Bridge painters at work high above the city, on December 3, 1915. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
Aftermath of a collision on an elevated rail track. (Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
The Queensboro Bridge, leading to Manhattan, seen on May 1, 1912. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives) #
A motorman operates a trolley cars near Williamsburg Bridge, on September 25, 1924. Signs advertise almonds, cold remedies, mustard, and stove polish. (Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives)
It’s been 70 years since an Indiana photographer visited New York City and returned home with an amazing collection of holiday snaps. Photos of architecture such as the Brooklyn Bridge and other parts of the Manhattan skyline - and it’s hard to believe they were taken while World War Two was going on.
Land and water: The Liberty Street ferry in New York City on September 27, 1941
Horse and cart: Men and boys are seen collecting salvage on the Lower East Side on October 4, 1941
Daily life: This street seen from October 3, 1942, is just one from a huge collection by Charles W. Cushman
Pub: McSorley's Old Ale House, still open today, is pictured on East 7th Street on October 7, 1942
Compared: McSorley's Old Ale House in the East Village today, hardly changed from the above photo
But what is even more intriguing are the street scenes and daily life Cushman documented in his photos, showing 1940s New Yorkers going about their daily business.
Pictures of children smiling for the camera, businessmen sitting down outside and street traders are a fascinating insight to what life was like in the city all those years ago.
Many of the areas have been demolished or rebuilt since they were pictured in 1941 and 1942.
But others such as McSorley’s Old Ale House in Manhattan’s East Village look almost identical now as they did back then, with the same store front and shop logo.
Park life: A suited man walks through Bowling Green in lower Manhattan on October 1, 1942
Smoking: Three homeless people from South Ferry doss houses are in Battery Park on June 6, 1941
Crossing: The East River is pictured below Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan, on June 6, 1941
Around town: A portable soft drink stand at Bowling Green on October 1, 1942, left, and a Lower East Side street scene on September 27, 1941, right
| Daniel Boone once camped in the Appalachian mountain hamlet of Owsley County which remains mostly populated by descendants of settlers to this day. The 2010 U.S. Census listed Owsley County as having the lowest median household income in the country outside of Puerto Rico, with 41.5% of residents living below the poverty line. Familial and community bonds run deep, with a populace that shares a collective historical and cultural legacy uncommon in most parts of the country. However, the community of around 5,000 struggles with a lack of jobs due to the decline in coal, tobacco and lumber industries along with health issues including drug addiction without effective treatment.
Mose Noble's nephew Johnny Noble, 9, sits in Mose's trailer during a visit on April 21, 2012 in Owsley County, Kentucky. Johnny visits his uncle from time to time. Mose Noble is a former chimney sweeper who no longer works but volunteers cleaning graveyards. His trailer has no electricity or running water but he receives governmental and neighborly assistance. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
(L to R) Family members Hope Lucas, Jesse Lucas, Jacob Lucas and Love Faith Duff gather near home in Owsley County on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Brittany Brewer (C) fixes her gown as she prepares for the Owsley County High School prom next to a wood stove in the home where she lives with her grandmother on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
James Moore (C) plays the guitar as Robert Go (L) sings while revelers hug at Joe's Meat Market #2 in Owsley County on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Owsley County Saddle Club board members Larry Campbell (R) and Ricky Marshall man the entrance gate at the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Mechanic Chucky Oliver welds a pipe at his auto repair shop in Owsley County on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Owsley County Outreach Center workers carry food to be delivered to children as part of the center's Food Backpack Program in Owsley County on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The program delivers backpacks filled with easily prepared meals for underpriveleged school children who were found to go without meals over weekends in the county. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Married students Starr Lewis (2nd R), Travis Lewis and daughter Ariel Lewis, 3 weeks, attend the Owsley County High School prom on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
An old photograph is seen in a restaurant in Owsley County on April 22, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Former chimney sweeper Mose Noble (R) and his nephew Johnny Noble, 9, gather outside Noble's trailer during a visit on April 21, 2012 in Owsley County, Kentucky. Johnny visits his uncle from time to time. Noble no longer works but volunteers cleaning graveyards. His trailer has no electricity or running water but he receives governmental and neighborly assistance. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Parishioners gather as Sugar Camp Baptist Church pastor Tim Charlton preaches in Owsley County on April 22, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Drucilla Smith (C) prepares for the Owsley County High School prom in her home with sister Linda Hall on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
A mural is seen downtown in Owsley County on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Drucilla Smith (LOWER L) has her hair done as she prepares for the Owsley County High School prom in her home with sister Linda Hall (TOP L), Layla Johnson (BOTTOM C) and mother Bonnie Smith (R) in Owsley County on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Dates Coty Shouse (C) and Destiny Duff (R) gather as Destiny's father Ronnie Duff (L) passes a baby to be photographed while preparing for the Owsley County High School prom on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
(R to L) Family members Ronnie Duff, Love Faith Duff, Jacob Lucas and Hope Lucas gather on the porch in Owsley County on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Owsley County Outreach Center director Cleda Turner (C) carries food to be delivered from her thrift store to children as part of the center's Food Backpack Program on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The program delivers backpacks filled with easily prepared meals for underprivileged school children who were found to go without meals over weekends in the county. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Riders pass an abandoned car during the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
People gather around a fire at the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Barber Gary Mays (C) chats with retired butcher Jesse Johnson (R) in Mays' barber shop in Owsley County on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
A man reads a newspaper in a restaurant on April 22, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Volunteers help restore the Noble Pioneer Museum which contains artifacts of local Appalachian pioneer life, on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The site contains original pioneer cabins and is currently closed but volunteers hope they will be able to re-open it soon. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
A man loads scrap wood available for free to residents in Owsley County on April 17, 2012 in Lerose, Kentucky. The scrap wood is donated by a local log-yard. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Mose Noble looks on while taking a break from cleaning a graveyard in Owsley County on April 16, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. Noble is a former chimney sweeper who now cleans graveyards as a volunteer. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
An old grave is seen in historic Cortland Cemetery on April 17, 2012 in Owsley County, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Students enter the Owsley County High School prom as family and community members watch from the bleachers on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Cora McIntosh displays a cross she knitted on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
An old sign is seen downtown on April 22, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. Johnny visits his uncle from time to time. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
The Taylor family waits to attend the start of the Owsley County High School prom on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Riders pass in a wagon with an American flag at the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
An abandoned building is seen on April 19, 2012 in Owsley County, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Owsley County Outreach Center director Cleda Turner chats with a resident in front of a school bus used for donated supplies on April 16, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. Turner was born and raised in the county. The center provides services to the underprivileged in the county including backpacks filled with easily prepared meals for school children who were found to go without meals over weekends. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Paul Neace, 72, sits in his home in Owsley County on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Students wait to enter outside the Owsley County High School prom on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)#
Drucilla Smith (L) prepares for the Owsley County High School prom in her home with her sister Jennifer Johnson (C) on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Horse riders gather at dusk at the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Former chimney sweeper Mose Noble's kitchen is seen in Owsley County on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. Noble is no longer employed but does volunteer cleaning graveyards from time to time. His trailer has no electricity or running water but he receives governmental and neighborly assistance. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Baby Jacob Lucas rests inside a thrift store in Owsley County on April 19, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Sugar Camp Baptist Church pastor Tim Charlton preaches in Owsley County on April 22, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
Horse riders prepare to depart after a break at a gas station during the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 21, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) #
A man walks beneath an American flag at the Owsley County Saddle Club trail ride on April 20, 2012 in Booneville, Kentucky. The trail ride attracts riders from outside the county who contribute much needed revenue. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) |
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