Most of the photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs, 20 to 200 megabytes in size) from the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) Many were digitized by LOC contractors using a Sinar studio back. They are adjusted by your webmaster for contrast and color in Photoshop before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here.

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1911. "The Public Square -- Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument." A bustling scene, patriotically decorated. View full size.
Look at this view of the May Co. in 1900 from a previous Shorpy post. There's even more windows. It must have undergone a major renovation during those 11 years.

Note the all-window front of The May Co. Probably cutting-edge architecture and construction for the time.
Today's Top 5