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.

February 19, 1915: "Murray Street Fire" in Manhattan. Who can help us fill in the details? View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.
Here's the news story from the New York Times Archive ...
"The two policemen ran one block south and saw the fire in a five-story brick building a few doors west at 69 Murray Street. The ground floor was occupied by J.B. Colt Company, manufacturer of lighting fixtures, and the upper floors by the Griffin Manufacturing Company, makers of shoe polish."
[Fascinating. Thanks! - Dave]
Today's Top 5