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The Tenement: 1905
Circa 1905. "New York tenement." With a number of tiny inhabitants in evidence. Dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:40pm -

Circa 1905. "New York tenement." With a number of tiny inhabitants in evidence. Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Typical catWon't hold still for a photo!
Lord of the FliesSee the little black kitten in front of the stove? Hopefully he (she?) won't get a paw in either of the two sheets of flypaper, one on each table. Plenty of flies to keep Kitty entertained. 
The dressing tableNotice the hat pins, scent bottles and other such items on the dressing table. This tenement dweller did not leave home unadorned!
Photo on shelfLooks like a National Guard Company group photo
Not your typical tenementWhile we can't quite see through the window to the left of the oval bedroom mirror, it is evident from the amount of sunlight coming through that the window opens to the outside.  It's a sign that this tenement is of higher quality (and rent) than most.  Tenement bedroom windows usually opened onto narrow airshafts that admitted dim light and very little fresh air.
Also, many tenement dwellers in 1910 would have been first-generation immigrants, mostly from southern or eastern Europe.  If immigrants, the occupants of this tenement are at least knowledgeable enough in English to be reading an English-language newspaper.  Again, if they're immigrants at all: the picture of soldiers looks like it could have been from the American Civil War, more than a generation in the past when this picture was taken.
Basement catThe first known photo of Basement Cat emerging from the shadows.
Tenement 1910Million-dollar condo 2010.
Evening JournalThe New York Evening Journal was a daily (except Sunday) published by William Randolph Hearst from 1897 to 1909.  The paper was sold in 1909 and ceased publication in 1911.
Tenement MuseumIf any Shorpsters find themselves in NYC, they can visit the Tenement Museum and see a re-creation of a tenement much like this one.  It is a fascinating place with, yes, some old photographs.  It is on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side.
RemodelThe disk high on the wall is a decorative cover used to plug an opening where an old flue pipe went through the wall, probably from a coal stove. Judging from the matching cover in the bedroom, the flue went horizontal for a while before heading up and out. The cover had spring clips on the back that snapped into the circular opening. 
Anyone make out what's in the mirror?
Location, Location, LocationThe photo doesn't let us know where in NYC it is. 1910 tenements usually conjure an image of the Lower East Side, a neighborhood of immigrants. In this picture, which could be in Midtown, Yorkville or  the Upper West Side or even Harlem, we have reasonable living quarters for 1910. The newspaper on the table appears to be in English.  One picture on the wall show a Military unit, possibly a  Spanish-American or Civil War Unit that a resident or relative served in. A tenement building was and is a way of life in many American Cities. Many remain in the poorer neighborhoods today, however the very upscale Upper East Side of Manhattan has  them on almost every block east of Madison Avenue. A few are run down, but most are well kept and the monthly rents, where they are not controlled, are in the multiple thousands. The vacancy rate is around 1%.
IronIt is faint in the photo, but it appears there is a flatiron leaning against the baseboard behind the corner of the stove. 
What is it?Can anyone tell me what the woven wooden object is that in propped up on the wall shelf?
[A fan. - Dave]
Home Sweet HomeAs somebody who lives in a 274-square-foot tenement from 1871 in the West Village, I find this photo wonderfully revealing. My home as been updated (in 1934), but still retains a lot of quirks. This shot is such a wonderful view into the personal lives of folks that lived in homes like my own. I can only imagine how warm the home must have been in the summertime with the cast iron stove and gas lighting.
More photos like this please!
The Evening Journal revisitedSince the old New York Journal-American was my late father's favorite newspaper, I'm going to have to quibble with Old Molly's history of the New York Evening Journal. The history account I found has William Randolph Hearst publishing both the morning American and the Evening Journal in New York from 1895 until they were combined in 1937 into the afternoon Journal-American, which continued as a Hearst publication until 1966, when it was merged with the old World-Telegram and Sun and the Herald-Tribune into the very short-lived World-Journal-Tribune.
Love the Rohrshach tableclothNot about to divulge the things which popped into my imagination by that design along the bottom edge. Okay, one. I see a bearded gent with spectacles peering through an arbor.
Another thought came to mind while examining the photos in the room. Which was the chance we just might come across a Shorpy photo hanging on the wall in another Shorpy photo. I'm too old to use the phrase "that would be so cool," but that would be apt. 
Quibble acceptedOld Molly agrees with the Tipster and stands corrected. Through mergers and various name changes, the paper survived until relatively recent years. 
Yarn swift The thing reflected in the mirror appears to be a yarn swift, or winder. The bag would be used to store it.
Those are definitely flatirons (or, as they are known down here in the South, "sad irons," as it was a sad day when you had to use them because no matter the weather a lot of heat was involved).
 Great photo with lots of history which is somewhat lost except in museums or as one contributor pointed out a Tenement tour in New York.
Stove Update A little Google research indicates my earlier thought the stove was a conversion may have been wrong. The Gem City Stove Company in Dayton, Ohio, produced a gas stove from the late 1800s up until the Depression known as the "Perfect."
Boat modelTo the left of the doorway is a half-model of a boat hull with a centerboard. It's a technical rather than a decorative object and makes me suspect that someone in the tenement was a boatbuilder.
It's definitely a well kept room and a superior tenement, but I bet that on a hot day it SMELLED. 
Basement CatI often wondered where Basement Cat got his start. Now I know. (I wonder if anyone else got that).
Lewis Hinemust think everyone lives a wealthy life.  This apartment looks clean and lovingly "decorated" to the best of the tenants' ability.  I don't think it is all that bad!!
[Perhaps, but this is not a Lewis Hine photo. And did anyone say it was bad? - Dave]
The Gift of the MagiI have never felt closer to O. Henry than at this moment.
Flash of memorywhen I noticed the wooden match holder next to the stove! Haven't seen one of those in a kitchen since the '50s.
What are those pipes for?Does anyone know what use the pipes from above have? They might be a fire suppressant, but I am not sure.
[The "pipes" are gas light fixtures. - Dave]
Tenement DefinedIt's a little puzzling how the word "tenement" came to imply poverty or deprivation. I suppose the constant association by Lewis Hine and others of the word to their photographs of dire poverty would do the trick.
Technically, the word tenement, as defined by New York City anyway, means any building that houses three or more unrelated families. The doorman buildings on Park Avenue are, by strict definition, tenements as well.
GaslightDid one have to climb a ladder or stand on a high chair whenever they wanted to light the gas jets?
PerfectI actually have an ad for this very oven - posted in a Dayton publication from 1904.
It was placed by the Dayton Gas Light and Coke Company.
COKE COKE COKE
SMOKELESS FUEL
Recommended by all Range and Furnace Manufacturers as being the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable fuel.
Orders received at the Dayton Gas Light and Coke Co's Office
etc. etc.
Try and visitGeezerNYC submitted the comment that shorpsters can visit the Tenement Museum in NYC and see a recreation. In fact,you can enjoy an in depth online recreation and 360 degree walkthroughs of these wonderful tenements at http://www.tenement.org
The site is dedicated to the stories of immigrants who lived in 97 Orchard Street, a tenement built in 1863 on Manhattan's Lower East Side. There are TONS of picture archives, a virtual tour, collections, first hand accounts of several families that lived there and LOTS more. I've visited it several times and I love it every time. I'm sure it is NOTHING like taking an actual walking tour of the tenement museum but it's as close as I can get for now. I suggest that everyone check this out. I'd also like to say that the comment such as how it had to have "smelled" in the heat of summer, etc. just bummed me out. So it may have smelled. so what. Many of these people struggled and busted their rear ends like no tomorrow just to get bread on the table and clean clothing to wear, to put shoes on their kids feet and on and on. We truly can't even begin to compare our lives today to the lives of the vast majority of those who lived in these tenements. They made the best of what they had. It was home. 
PipesThe pipes above the stove are gas pipes. Note the shut-off valves on the pipes. 
(The Gallery, DPC, Kitchens etc., NYC)

Tenement Kitchen: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous couch on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:43pm -

New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous couch on wheels.  8x10 glass negative. View full size.
A Tree Grows in BrooklynThis could be straight out of the book.
It's funny how nice a "lowly" tenement room can look without modern plastic junk all over the place.
Nice place!It was a lot more run down by the time the Kramdens moved in fifty years later.
Royal BustsI think the busts are of Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.  Any other ideas?
The picture on the shelfThe one behind the clock looks like it might be a cased Civil War era half plate Tintype of a mother and her baby.
Godfather Part IIAll that's missing here is Vito C, Clemenza, and Tessio...all sitting around the table with a big bowl of pasta and a jug of vino.
Immigrants from the UK?Busts on the wall shelf are of King Edward VII (reigned 1901 to 1910) and Queen Alexandra.
On the shelfBusts of Queen Alexandra and Edward VII? Plus a photo of a magician? Never saw a radiator like that.
Changing marketsPretty spacious and spiffy for a tenement! Bet it now rents for $7k a month to a junior law partner.
The Curious SofaThat incongruous couch on wheels is a late and decidedly on-the-cheap version of the Victorian lounge sofa, now popularly called a fainting couch. Lounge sofas were a kind of casual daybed, and the cook in this very tidy tenement kitchen might have had it there to rest her back while she was waiting for the dough to rise. The shiny, pleated upholstery on this one looks like the sort of imitation leather typically used on the cheaper versions of these sofas, and the tied fringe is made of the same material, probably a nitrocellulose-coated thin canvas. Many types of 19th Century household furniture were mounted with small cast brass caster wheels. They were hell on floor finishes. Here's a similar lounge sofa that has been reupholstered in a cheery and completely non-historic furnishing fabric.
Apt furnishingThe couch is to assist an Edwardian lady experiencing an attack of the kitchen vapours.
Another viewof a similar kitchen in this post. At first I thought it might be the same room, but the stove-corner artwork is different.

Coronation SouvenirsThe white bisque porcelain busts of Alexandra of Denmark and her husband Edward VII were produced circa 1902 by Robinson & Leadbetter of Stoke-on-Trent. Here is an identical pair.
Homeless headsThis shot reminds me of all the photos I see for sale in antique stores today.  Some of the photos are even fairly recent (1960s-'70s).  It breaks my heart that so many don't keep their family photos!  If I ever become independently wealthy, I'll spend my time "rescuing" these photos & posting them to Shorpy!
Re: HammeredNot only is plaster impossible to get nails to stick in--in some places, they used to mix horsehair in with the plaster, which actually gave it a springy quality.  I remember talking to the owners of an old home once and they described the first (and last) time they tried to drive a nail in--it came shooting back out at them. 
Re: Homeless headsYou may want to check this out, sackerland, someone is already running with your idea.
http://forgottenoldphotos.blogspot.com/
Unusual radiatorThe radiator likely appears unusual because of its context.  It is of a design that is typically hung horizontally from a ceiling.  This style of rad only requires about five inches total clearance from the wall, which is likely why it was selected for this location. One can tell that it's the original installation because foot valve it too close to the wall for there to be room for a conventional rad.
BustDefinitely Edward VII (eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert). Quite probably modelled after this one (Nov. 9, 1901)
Elegant is as elegant doesThere's no denying the inherent elegance of the family that lived here, regardless of its fiscal condition, and the artistic care someone showed in decorating this kitchen. Note the symmetrical arrangement of the pictures on the wall, the busts on the shelf, etc., and of course the spotless wood floor. Lovely.   
Kitchen differencesThis one has half as many gas lamp jets. The sink is out of view in each photo (assuming there was one actually located in the apartment, rather than down the hall), but it's safe to say that the concept of the work triangle had not occurred to anyone yet.
HammeredDoes anyone know why pictures were hung like that in the early 20th century? I have seen the exact same hanging mode for pics ranging from middle class folks to European royalty so it was clearly THE way to do it--but why not just hammer a nail in like we do nowadays?
[Ever try hammering a nail into plaster? - Dave]
That SofaIn "Ann of Green Gables" there's casual mention of someone sitting on the kitchen sofa, which gives us a pretty good hint about what wintertime home heating was like in PEI, Canada. Maybe the same thing here?
Lowly can certainly be a relative termEspecially when you consider what tenement housing was like just a few years prior to this, and still was in many parts of New York. The tenement act that sought to create places like this one had only been passed in 1901. Prior to that, this apartment probably would not have had gas fixtures, heat, or windows to capture light to take this photo. 
More a napping couchMost families living in tenements used the kitchen as a bedroom at night. 
This family appears to be working-class English. The glass and ceramic knick-knacks seem very urban North of England to me - Leeds, Newcastle, etc.
Similar kitchensThey certainly do look like the same room, and I was going to suggest that the two photos  were taken at different times with different wall decor - but then I noticed the floorboards.  Definitely different rooms.  
OCDI feel the need to straighten those pictures on the wall!
The "lowly" tenementAs noted elsewhere on Shorpy, the meaning of "tenement" has changed over time. Far from being synonymous with "slum dwelling," it originally connoted a dwelling in any tenanted building, or the building itself. Its root is the Latin word tenere, meaning "to hold."

The kitchen as bedroomI am reminded of my first historic house tour, Naperville's 1883 Martin Mitchell Mansion, when I was in the third grade. All of the beds had the pillows propped up against the headboard, and we were told that people slept with their heads more or less upright, lest lying flat should result in pneumonia or consumption or whatever. The construction of this couch would be consistent with such a belief.
Occupants of the Martin Mitchell Mansion had no need to sleep in the kitchen, but I remember a vacuum cleaner powered by a pair of bellows strapped to the user's feet!
The kitchen couchMy parents have a couch in their kitchen too. Used for watching TV, using the internet, talking on the phone, napping, or just socializing in the kitchen area.
But they don't have a radiator, especially not a work of art radiator like that one!
That amazing sofa!The "kitchen sofa" is an American Empire or Greek Revival recamier, also called a Grecian sofa or "fainting bed." This one was probably made in NY prior to 1855, when Victorian furniture came in vogue. The tight bolster indicates a "high style" piece that would be very valuable today. Tenement dwellers often kept a cradle or small bed in the kitchen for a child's nap time, which would allow Mom to keep working at the same time. This is a pretty fancy "cradle."
(The Gallery, DPC, Kitchens etc., NYC)

Clam Chowder Today: 1905
New York City circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement." The longer you look at this, the more you'll see. 8x10 inch glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:37pm -

New York City circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement." The longer you look at this, the more you'll see. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Time for some road repairWow, that's a nasty bit of road in front of that building.
HauntingBest face-in-a-window shot in a long time.  Looks like a painting, and speaks of timeless solitude across a century.
308Who'll be the first to post a Street View?
S&H Green StampsAnd here I thought they were a product of the 1950s, or earlier.
["Earlier" would seem to be correct. - Dave]
Pop. 2So far I see two people in this photo. Not counting George McClellan.
I wanna buy that mason a beer!Those are the coolest headers I've ever seen! There's probably a term for that style, for all I know. 
The cobblestones on the street are another story. No doubt a mosquito plague after every rain.
DeepI think I lost a truck in that pothole.
Scared the bejesus out of me!The shadowy lady in the doorway! And the pensive woman in the window looks so lost in thought. The people in this photo are the best part!
Down in flamesHmmm, fire escapes that go nowhere.
Maybe notI was thinking of swiping something out of that tool chest, then I read the label!
Loafer DeterrentThose sharp triangles on the top of the railings look to be very effective at keeping people from sitting on them.
[Also effective for loafing pigeons -- note that they're also on the lower rung. - Dave]
Trading stampsThat S&H Green Stamp sign would be quite a collectible now. Sperry & Hutchinson began in 1896. They're still around, just virtual.
Give the man a steak to go with the beer!The brickwork is fantastic. Look at the fancy work above the second floor windows and the double diamondwork up the walls. I have never seen diamondwork in brick before.
It does not survive.308 East 40th Street (courtesy of the 1915 city directory).
View Larger Map
Chillin at the windowI count two windowsill milk bottles. Plus some paper-wrapped packages, maybe meat or butter.
I just figured it outWhy do vintage street lamps always those two arms sticking out? To support a ladder for maintenance!
Thank you!Clicking on these photos to get the full-size view is like opening gifts!  I'm thrilled every time.  Thank you.
Tudor City308 East 40th Street in Manhattan is just off Second Avenue on the south side of the street and just a few doors away from the Tudor City apartment and park complex. Back in the 1980's, there were some terrific restaurants in that immediate area.
Tenement?In New York City a "tenement" is considered to be a small (under five story with no elevator) overcrowded run-down building. The houses on the Lower East Side in the early 1900s were tenements.  308 East 40th Street does not fit that description.
[Meanings change over time. Strictly speaking, a tenement is any tenanted building, i.e. apartment house. Below, NYC real-estate listings from 1905. - Dave]
GaslightThe lamplighter would lean his ladder against those arms.
It's a gas!I see that H. Kino the Tailor still uses gaslights (in the front window) -- but seeing as how this building was a "tenement," I suppose electrification was a low priority.
Fire EscapesThe two "Fire Escapes" I guess are not  balconies but have no apparent way to get down to street and away from the conflagration. The only thing I can figure is the NYFD would come and raise  a ladder to them. We can't tell how tall the building is but I imagine no more than four or five stories [Actually, seven. - Dave]. The fire escapes for the floors above must be on the sides and rear of the building. I am having trouble identifying the metal bracket affixed to the wall between the tailor shop window and it's door. It looks like it could have held a hanging sign but appears to be too low.
Morning scrubbingThe lady in at the doorway seems to be scrubbing the floors. You can see the water dripping down the front step.
Graffiti If you zoom in you can see initials chalked on the bricks.
JuniorIn spite of the apparent distaste someone in this neighborhood had for George B. McClellan, he won his mayoral campaign. The name sounds familiar, of course, and the man on the poster is the son of Civil War General George B. McClellan. He served as mayor of New York City from 1904 to 1909 (he was elected first for a two-year term, and then for a four-year term).
Apparently he was a little moralistic, and canceled all motion-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. Perhaps that's why he was not encouraged to run for reelection for the 1910 term.
Once, tenements were even respectableLovely curtains, with lace or bobbles or fringe, at every window. No broken glass. Well-kept and middle-class.
Jacob Riis had shown New York tenements as nothing but degrading slums. "How The Other Half Lives" was only 15 years old when this photograph was made. But there was always a strong sense of middle-class values that resided in the people who lived in the "better" tenements. They embraced the Settlement House movement, strove to present a "decent" face to the world, and certainly didn't want to be tarred with the same label as those dirty, disreputable slum-dwellers downtown.
What an amazing image. There's so much we've forgotten. Thank you for reminding us.
George B. McClellan JrMayor of New York 1904-1909.  Born in Dresden, Germany, and son of Gen. McClellan of Civil War blundering.
Elmer's GantryOn the wall above the cellar stairs, there's a triangular rig for hoisting stuff up out of the basement.
Where'd the cart go?There are two other photos of this tenement in the Library of Congress collection. They look much more inhabited and show how this image might have been manipulated for effect -- the other images show the address number (curiously missing here), the awning down, and a cart of produce in front of the building, a much more inviting view.
[Nothing was "manipulated." You can't see the address numbers because they're on the front doors, which are both open in this view. - Dave]
Lace Curtain IrishIf this is chowda, it must be Friday.  When I was a kid, every Friday was meatless and during that era, the better-off Irish were referred to as titled.  Likewise the Polish people who were "comfortable" were "silk stocking Poles" and my father used to call us cotton stocking Poles.  Both ethnicities were Catholic and Friday always meant seafood, (Irish were also referred to as "mackerel snappers) and odors of frying fish, tuna salad and chowda permeated the neighborhoods.  My mom made three kinds of chowda, New England with a creamy, white base, Manhattan with a tomato base and lots of vegetables and Rhode Island which was a lighter version of the N.E. kind but with added broth.  I love them all but also miss the smell of everybody's tuna and onion sandwiches at school lunch and fish frying aromas wafting through our town at supper time.  I do remember that fresh mackerel was ten cents a pound and almost everyone could afford it.  Thanks for the great nostalgic picture, the despairing lady in the window seems trapped and scared, there has to be a story there.   
Windowsill gardenI love the window with all the plants in it! Hard to tell what they are, though it looks like one may be an orchid. I wonder if they were purely ornamental or if some were herbs for cooking. Either way, you've got to cram as many as you can into your available sunny spaces!
Francie is gazing out the windowIt could be Francie. It could.  A Tree Grows In Brooklyn was my favorite book as a young adult and this detailed photograph brings a better understanding of the novel.
Almost "Norman Rockwell"Imagine a 5000-piece picture puzzle with this photo as the topic!
I LEARN so much from the comments!This is one of my favorite sites for resting my weary eyes during work breaks. And while I certainly savor the photos, so many layers are added by the comments. Thank you, everyone, for sharing your knowledge.
Holy horse dung!Having lived in Manhattan for 12 (yes, only 12) years and having moved away, this photo leaves me speechless.  
The detail of the photographic process is amazing and the subtle (and somewhat hidden) joys on view here make me wanna head back for any chowder--even the famous Gowanus Canal Chow.  All the sights, smells and sounds of the greatest city on earth come back to me. Many thanks.
I now live on this spotOr possibly right next to it.  I live in the Churchill, a 33-story apartment building at 300 East 40th Street - it takes up the entire block between 39th and 40th Street, and 2nd Avenue and Tunnel Entrance Street.  308 was either torn down to make room for the Churchill (built 1968) or possibly during the building of the Midtown tunnel and its approaches (1936-40).
What am I missing?Just wondering how "swein" determined that this was E. 40th; might I be enlightened on this "1915 directory"? I'm half-cringing in anticipation of a "duh" moment but I've looked over the pic & the comments -- and I'm not getting it.
[Swein consulted the 1915 Manhattan City Directory for Wm. Inwood, Grocer, and found a listing that matched the 308 address in the window. - Dave]
Do You Supposethe Sicilian Asphalt Company also offered a line of concrete shoes?
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)

Tenement Stairs: 1905
Circa 1905. "Tenement stairway and hall, New York City." The Trudge Report. 8x10 inch dry ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/19/2012 - 2:41pm -

Circa 1905. "Tenement stairway and hall, New York City." The Trudge Report. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Ragg MoppHave these people never heard of a Mop?
Don't Jump to ConclusionsLooks less like 'sloppy' than partway through renovations. The stuff on the floor could be old mastic.
Plaster spillage?The wall at left seems to show evidence of plaster repairs to holes, and there's further evidence of plaster work at the top of the stairs. I think the two white circles on the hall floor are where buckets of plaster stood, and the nearer bucket got tipped over so that its contents ran along the floor. 
Ready for the Painters!This hallway view shows new construction. The wrought iron railing and stair stringers have not been painted yet and a scribed line in the plaster is visible about three feet above the floor where the separation of paint colors will be. A darker color below to hide scuffs and fingerprints.
No sense in mopping the floor until the painters have finished.
Not Originally A PejorativeThe frequent affixing of adjectives like "squalid" or "reeking" or "crumbling" to the word tenement in contemporary news articles and essays reveals that the noun was not always a pejorative.  Indeed, it refers to an arrangement of flats in a multi-storied building served by a central staircase, usually constructed with one or two walls in common with adjacent buildings.  (The Romans had 'em; you can look it up!) Because it was a cheap and profitable way to provide housing for the many,  and because "many" and "impecunious" are often closely associated, the "old law" tenement maximized density and minimized cost to the detriment of access to light and fresh air, resulting in a gradual acceptance of the term as the equivalent of "slum."  Well, that and the presence of four generations in a one-bedroom, picking rags and praying for the Bronx.
KudosTo the sharp-eyed Shorpy viewers for noticing all the minute details of this photo, and that the building was indeed probably going through a renovation rather than just being a dirty old mess! I never caught all this until I read these astute observations.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

East Side Story: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house." Another view of the building on East 40th Street seen here ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:00pm -

New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house." Another view of the building on East 40th Street seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
I like the carriagehouse next doorIt's been gone for decades, I'm sure. The few remaining carriagehouses in the city are hotly contested real estate. People love the huge doors, I guess.
New York ObserverCould that woman in the window above the entrance be the lady in the previous shot of this building?
[Note that there are at least three upstairs window-gazers here. Kind of a theme for today's posts! - Dave]
Trading StampsI didn't know that Green Stamps dated that far back. I always thought they were a new thing in the 1950s and '60s.
Another lost artNot much call for Ornamental Plasterers any more.
Family and Unescorted WomenI noticed the FAMILY ENTRANCE. I found this mentioned in a couple of my travel guides of Chicago during this era. From what I was told this was because unescorted women and children were not to use the front door. The main entrance would be on Main Street and the Women's and Family Entrance would be on a side street.
Yoo hoo, Mrs. GoldbergReminds me of the early 50s television sitcom (arguably the first ever) "The Goldbergs." Who can ever forget the  refrain of Mrs. Kramer, calling out to her neighbor through open windows, "Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" One has to wonder about the utility of the balconies on the center building as a means of escaping fire. They  have no stairs or ladders  to the street.      
Not Here NowI have to say this of 40th Street and 2nd Avenue. There isn't a Saloon on any one of the 4 corners.
Present East 40th StreetDoesn't appear that anything is left
S&H Green StampsS&H Green Stamps (also called Green Shield Stamps) were trading stamps popular in the United States from the 1930s until the late 1980s.
By the way: I love your "titling capacities" Dave!

Lofty Rental I am wondering what those lofts were going for back then and what they would go for today if they were still there. At 1625 square feet of floor space they would bring a pretty penny today.
Old BillI wonder if that is Bill Inwood suspecting that Green Stamps are maybe not the way forward after all!
LocationI'm guessing that that is the 3rd Avenue El that can be seen at the extreme right edge of this photo, which would place this block between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, and probably shows the south side of the street. If so, I believe that an access street originating from the Queens Midtown Tunnel now empties its traffic onto East 40th at just about the same location. It is just two blocks west of what is now Tudor City. Have I got the geography correct?
[As noted in comments under the other photo, the grocery is 308 East 40th Street. - Dave]
Ouch!Ouch! what's that lady sitting on by the grocers?
HoneymoonersI fully expected to see Ralph Kramden looking out one of the windows.
Apropos of nothingI seem to be at that stage of life where, on some days at least, the front page of Shorpy seems far more relevant than the front page of the New York Times.
Everything But MoneyLove this photo as it reminds me of Sam Levenson's great memoir, Everything But Money. There's a whole neighborhood in one building.
Since We're CountingI believe I see four window-gazers, although two could be ghosts!
Look at Me NowThe building below, as seen from First Avenue & 40th Street, is 300 East 40th Street, also known as the Churchill. This high-rise stands on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and East 40th Street, where 308 East 40th Street, the subject of this Shorpy image, used to be. It is a co-op building with some apartment prices ranging in the multiple millions. It is one of the few apartment houses in the city with an open air Olympic size swimming pool on its roof.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)

302 Mott Street: 1911
... they get a little mess on them. If you're ever in New York, you can get an eye opening introduction to how how immigrants to America ... to Long Island. The family lived at 213 Mott Street in 1905 and 105 Thomson Street in 1915 (no 1910 listing). (The Gallery, Kids, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:29am -

December 1911. Family of Mrs. Mette making flowers in a very dirty tenement, 302 Mott Street, top floor. Josephine, 13, helps outside school hours until 9 P.M. sometimes. She is soon to be 14 and expects to go to work in an embroidery factory. Says she worked in that factory all last summer. Nicholas, 6 years old and Johnnie, 8 yrs. The old work some. All together earn only 40 to 50 cents a day. Baby (20 months old) plays with the flowers, and they expect he can help a little before long. The father drives a coach (or hack) irregularly. View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.
DirtRobert,
You need to click on the full size option.
The floor is dirty, the door has small child "art", the table cloth is dirty and has numerous holes.
I'm sure they are doing their best under who knows what type of circumstances.
Where's the dirtThe notes state, "a very dirty tenement."  There are some things like a wash-tub and a scrubbing-board that are in plain view.  Maybe those thing cold have been stowed a bit better.  But the wall cabinets have lites you can see the shelves inside and the insides seem to be in order. The floor is clean.  The women's clothing seems to be quite nice.  Those boys look fine with their jackets and even a scarf on one.  The only thing that shows something a bit out of order is the dark blotches on the oil cloth. Most likely holes.  The house keeping looks great to me.
Making flowersI've seen other flower photos here... who do they make the flowers for and what are they used for?  Hats maybe?  Also, are they real or silk?  Must be fake right? 
[Probably made for clothing manufacturers in the garment district. I'm not sure how they made artificial flowers back then. Although we do have some photos of real roses being dipped in white wax. - Dave]
Dirt  If you look at the wall by the mirror you can see the "dirt" on the wall.  My guess is that it is from smoke from a cook stove or coal heater.  People used to scrub down their walls every spring to remove the grime accumulated from a winter of heating and cooking.  I guess the comment of "very dirty" spoke to the grime on the walls as much as anything else.
  Actually if you look at the table and other furniture in the room they seem pretty ornate.  A family fallen on hard times?  Dragging once nice stuff from place to place, each place a little more worse for wear than the last.
Not DirtyPoverty is not the same as being dirty. The linoleum on that floor may be a wreck from being where one enters the house. Perhaps they don't have the money to go out and replace it. The baby's high chair may also be putting black marks on the floor as it gets dragged around. They also might have to haul some coal upstairs for the stove. 
These folks lived in a world of maybe 10 people in an apartment the size of the average kids bedroom these days. They are so poor that the entire family including kids is working to keep their heads above water financially. These weren't the days of handi-wipes and swiffers and vacuum cleaners and kids laying around all day playing on their computers and listening to their ipods. 
BTW, the kids clothes all look very clean. Any mess on a baby is because it's a baby. There's no washer and dryer sitting nearby to pop the kid's jammies in every time they get a little mess on them.
If you're ever in New York, you can get an eye opening introduction to how how immigrants to America lived down on "the lower east side" by going to this museum. I've been there. Take the tour of a real tenement which was purchased and "saved for historical/educational purposes.
http://www.tenement.org/
Go read the works of Jacob Riis and look at his photos. It's a testament to the human spirit that these people left their homelands to come to a new country to try to get a better life for themselves and their kids. This is the story behind Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It's the story behind the American dream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis
Dismissing things as dirty misses the point.
Thanks for sharing the photo, however. It's appeciated.
[The captions describing these photos are by photographer Lewis Hine, written around 100 years ago. "Dirty" is his description, not ours. - Dave]
Re: Not DirtySomething we mention every now and then: The captions describing these tenement photos were written by photographer Lewis Hine almost 100 years ago. "Dirty" is his description. It helps to remember that he is trying to paint a bleak picture for his audience -- the U.S. Congress -- in his organization's effort to end the practice of child labor.
StagingSomething to remember about Hine's photos is that they are not "candid" photos.  At this period of time, taking a photo like this required a big heavy camera on a tripod, and a flash powder apparatus.  Probably the table had to be moved back toward the wall and sink to "get it all in."  Since it is a "staged" photo, I'm sure Hine controlled what was in the photo to get his story across.
[That would be posed, not "staged." Big difference. - Dave]
Dirty TenementsThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. Hine had a habit of commenting about the cleanliness and neatness of his subject's houses or apartments. I suspect that it might have just been a value judgment based on his own preferences. Perhaps he was very fastidious, maybe picking that up from his mother when he was growing up in Wisconsin. We can't assume that he was just trying to exaggerate for effect. I did research on a woman who was photographed in her house in Leeds, Mass. She was putting bristles on toothbrushes. Hine's caption, in part, says, "putting bristles into tooth brushes in an untidy kitchen." I interviewed the woman's granddaughter, who had never seen the photo. When she saw the caption, she said, "Untidy kitchen? Gramma was spotless. You could eat off her floor."  
Point Taken DaveGood point, Dave. Thanks for clarifying that.
[One of my many pet peeves. I could start a zoo! - Dave]
Dirty? Untidy?Thanks for the great insight, Joe. It sounds like Mr. Hine had a few quirks of his own. Don't we all?
BeautyThey may be poor but they do have a gorgeous opalescent vase standing on the shelf in the upper right hand corner.
I lived there302 Mott Street, 5th floor.  Small apt, typical for NYC.  great location.  Miss the city.
EurekaMrs. Mette was Maria Auletta/Avoletti Motta, who lived with her husband Joseph and  eventually with their nine children born between 1896 and 1920. By the time this photo was taken Maria and Joseph were naturalized American citizens who had spent most of their lives in the US (after being born in Italy). Oldest daughter Lucy is not picture or mentioned in the caption. Baby was Daniel, born in 1910.
Joseph died in 1919 at the age of about 50, while the children eventually married and mostly moved to Long Island.
The family lived at 213 Mott Street in 1905 and 105 Thomson Street in 1915 (no 1910 listing).
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, NYC)

Mulberry Bend: 1905
Circa 1905. "Mulberry Bend, New York City." The name was changed to Columbus Park in ... park is where they congregate. Has to be better than a tenement. From what I can tell 99% are unsupervised by an adult. Different ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2013 - 9:42am -

Circa 1905. "Mulberry Bend, New York City." The name was changed to Columbus Park in 1911. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
What if you were an UNpopular undertaker?Did that mean you had to take Chas. Bacigalupo's leftovers?
The Popular UndertakerPeople must be dying to meet him.
Baciagalupo storyHere's a short story on Chas. Baciagalupo's own funeral from the New York Times in 1908:
 "Charles Bacigalupo, who for thirty years has buried the rich and poor of Mulberry Bend and Chinatown, was himself buried yesterday, and no funeral of such a scale of grandeur has ever been offered to the reverent if color-loving and emotional people of that section. Bacigalupo died in Brooklyn in one of those comfortable, old-fashioned mansions in Second Place... There were more than 200 carriages and seemingly endless processions of Italian societies with banners draped in crepe and bands sonorously sounding dirges that kept the mourners' tears welling to their eyes.
"After the services at the house the coffin was brought to the hearse—not the famous automobile hearse, but the finest that was ever built to go behind horses. Then six jet black horses, draped in white netting that flowed over the pavement, started toward the Brooklyn Bridge with six attendants holding their bridles. Behind the hearse were nine open carriages piled high with the flowers that the dead undertaker's hundreds of friends had sent."
Mr. Bacigalupobelieved in the phrase it pays to advertise.  Apparently he also has his name & addresses etched under a relief at the Most Precious Blood Church.  Here's a very good link that gives backround on "The Popular Undertaker".
The buildings to the left are all gone, now the Manhattan Detention Complex.  The building left of center with the large flagpole on the roof is still there (106 Bayard Street).
The Other HalfThis spot is the stuff of dark legends, as mythic a place as exists in New York. It once skirted the eastern edge of the Collect Pond, the fresh water supply of the Dutch and English settlements, and later marked the 12 and 2 positions of the Five Points, with the notorious alleys of Mulberry Bend, immortalized by Jacob Riis, burrowing inward from the street. The efforts of Riis and others brought about the demolition of the entire block between Mulberry and Baxter Streets. The park, designed by Calvert Vaux of Central Park fame, opened in 1897. The manicured ovals are long gone, replaced by basketball courts and playgrounds, but the pavilion remains, nicely restored in 2004. As the signage in the photo indicates, this was part of Little Italy 108 years ago, but is now firmly within Chinatown.
It's Chinatown JakeThe parkhouse still stands. The foreground is now mostly basketball courts.
The street on the left is Baxter Street. The buildings on the left, on the other side of Baxter, were replaced by the NY County District Attorney's office (1 Hogan Place) and NYC Criminal Court.
The street on the right is Mulberry Street. Yup, THAT Mulberry Street. The buildings on the right, on the other side of Mulberrry, are in Chinatown. The buildings in the farground, beyond the parkhouse, are in Little Italy. Little Italy has steadily been shrinking as it is subsumed by the expanding Chinatown.
Very close by was the infamous Five Points neighborhood and Collect Pond. Very much a "Gangs of New York" area in the 1800's. The pond was filled in after it became too polluted. The famous NY County Supreme Court (60 Centre Street -- where Chris Kringle had his trial in Miracle on 34th Street) would one day be close by on the left. To this day it has pumps in the basement working 24/7 to keep the water that used to flow into the pond from flooding the basement. So do several other buildings around the old pond site.
Five PointsAnd a shot of the notorious Five Points neighborhood, probably the toughest worst neighborhood in America ever, at least in the 19th century.  At this point we are around the time of the Five Points Gang war with the Eastman Gang. Johnny Torrio and Al Capone were getting their start with Five Pointers at the time of this picture.
Not a school dayI have never seen so many children in a Shorpy photo before. Looks like this park is where they congregate. Has to be better than a tenement. From what I can tell 99% are unsupervised by an adult. Different times: when even small children improvised their own games and entertainment.
Keep them assets earnin'Mr. Bacigalupo will rent you his coaches any time, day or night... so long as they don't contain one of his "customers". Apparently a common practice... several years earlier, the couple responsible for the 1897 NYC "murder of the century" hauled away the decedent by hiring a wagon from their neighborhood undertaker. A touch of irony, in that case.
RegardlessEven if your comment isn't posted, others might still answer your questions.  Glad to see that the pavilion is still there.  Shame the park is now converted into so many basketball courts [nothing against basketball, you understand], but it would be nice to have the greenery.
SnoozingI notice several gents having a nap while sitting on the benches.  When I was younger, I couldn't understand how you could sleep sitting up like that.  Now I wonder how you don't. Embarrassing in restaurants.  Ahem.
All in Chinatown NowThe buildings right behind the park pavilion are all in Chinatown now, and have been since at least when I lived in the area in the 60s and 70s. There were only a handful of longtime Italian businesses and families I knew left there on Bayard and Mulberry Streets. The tourist trap of restaurant after restaurant that is Little Italy now doesn't begin until north of Canal Street, running up Mulberry Street for about a half mile or so.
By the way, the building with the flagpole and flag to the right of center is 70 Mulberry Street, formerly Public School 23, and now the Research Center location of MoCA, Museum of Chinese in America.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

Fine Groceries: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house, E. 40th Street." Our fifth look at this building . 8x10 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:44pm -

New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house, E. 40th Street." Our fifth look at this building. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
ThinkThe young lady look's deep in thought. I wonder what she's thinking about? "Maybe I should have brought my umbrella."
He's in big troubleHe was supposed to pick her up a half hour ago after her shift at the deli but he's down at the pool hall and time just got away from him, you know how it is. She hopes he's not dead so she can kill him herself when he finally pulls up.
Please do not siton the railings or abutment.
Look carefully at the sidewalk and streets.Totally immaculate. In fact, you can eat off of them.
Brick lintelsI have NEVER seen brick lintels arranged in such a decorative fashion before. For such a plain building there's a lot going on in the brickwork. 
Woman by door:"Oh dear! Google Maps seems to have led me astray. I was only look for medium-quality groceries. Whatever shall I do?"
QuandaryNow where the devil did I leave the Ford?
Seasick?That wavy cobblestone street could pass for the ocean on a windy day.  Must have been a very bumpy ride.
Tea TimeI'm surprised no one has made comment of the young lady standing alone on the street.  Just above her though, through a partially openend window, appears to be two or three ladies enjoying high tea or something of the sort.  Looks like one is reaching for a salt or pepper shaker.  Shorpy provides a portal into the past to view moments enjoyed over 100 years ago!  Amazing when one thinks about it.
A Worrisome Thought
I imagine we will never know if our heroine was able to connect with her new beau.
Although she is an attractive young lady so I'm sure things worked out for her and some viewer of Shorpy might be looking at their great grandmother.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)

Washday Rigging: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Tenement courtyard." Rear Window: The Prequel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2015 - 11:11am -

New York circa 1905. "Tenement courtyard." Rear Window: The Prequel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
"Lines up! Lines up!"My father said that in his youth in early 20th century Mt. Vernon, NY, a city with many multi-story dwellings, there were street vendors who rigged clotheslines. These men would walk the streets shouting "Lines up! Lines up!", seeking householders who needed help to rig or re-rig their clotheslines.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
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