I have mapped many of Barnard’s photographs on this interactive map. This picture is marked as Pushpin 7.

An earlier comment is correct; this is Alabama Street. Somewhere along the way it got mislabeled – probably due to the RR roundhouse in the background being confused with the larger Western & Atlantic facility in the other direction. Today, the ground level is Underground Atlanta.

I've spent hours poring over the 1871 Atlanta city directory, and it's clear to me that this picture was taken from the corner of Marietta and Broad, with the photographer standing, elevated, on the opposite side of Marietta Street (which is not visible), and looking southwest down Broad Street toward Alabama Street. In the directory, you can find the Franklin Press (6 Broad), the S.B. Robson Broom company (Broad Street near Alabama), and the Grant Building (corner Broad and Marietta), which is home to many entities, including W.K. Fox Furniture. By 1871, J.C. Hendrix was an assistant secretary to the Georgia Senate; it appears that by that time, J.C. Hendrix & Co. no longer warranted an entry in the directory.

It's Alabama Street, facing east from the intersection of Whitehall.

[Any documentation to back this up? - Ken]

Below is an aerial view of your photo -- the centre of a painting of 1864 Atlanta (presumably from sketches from a balloon) by Wilbur G.Kurtz. It appears in "Yesterday's Atlanta" by Franklin M.Garrett. Your photo is taken from right to left across the top of this bit of the painting. The big "car shed" is off to the left of the photo, which also seems to show a locomotive roundhouse at the end of the street, not shown in the photo.

To take a peek back into history. I never take the wonder of photography for granted, and each and every picture is like a little piece of time saved.

This photo must have been taken fairly close to that date, as the signs in the lower left corner advertise events (pantomimes are mentioned) taking place on November 8 and 10.

I wonder if one could buy a guitar at J C Hendrix ?

The building across the street to the right says Furniture. What does the middle building say at the top? ["Franklin Printing House & Bookbindery" - Dave] Is there any way of telling what block of Marietta Street? And I would assume this picture was prior to the Nov. 11 fire.

Any idea what the white streak is?

[Like you say in the subject line, maybe a covered wagon passing by. - Dave]