St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890s. "The Ponce de Leon Hotel, rear view." With this post, Shorpy is entering vacation mode for a week, having packed his bindle and hopped a freight for the wide open spaces. While he's gone we'll try to make do with just a post or two every day. View full size.

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890. "Parlors of the Ponce de Leon Hotel." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.

Circa 1889. "Bathing pool in the Casino." The swimming pool at Henry Flagler's Hotel Alcazar in St. Augustine, Florida, last seen here from the other end. Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890. "On the roof of the Ponce de Leon Hotel." Then back down to the room, and into our T's and Victorian flip-flops. Dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.

Florida circa 1891. "Cordova Hotel, St. Augustine." 8x10 dry-plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.

Mexico circa 1891. "Ferrocarill Central Mexicano. Canal of Nochistongo," a drainage excavated in the 17th and 18th centuries to keep Mexico City from flooding. Note the giant camera and tripod employed by William Henry Jackson in the making of his heroically proportioned photographs, the largest of which were recorded on a medium the archivists call "mammoth plates" -- glass negatives that measured 18 by 22 inches. (This particular image was made on an 8x10 inch glass plate -- what modern photographers would consider "large format," but still only a fifth the size of an 18x22.) Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size.

Jalisco, Mexico, circa 1891. "Bridge near Encarnacion. Ferrocarril Central Mexicano." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size.

Circa 1889. "Bathing pool in the Casino. (Probably the Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, Florida.)" UPDATE: This was actually the nearby Hotel Alcazar (thanks to Amphalon). Photograph by William Henry Jackson. View full size.

New Orleans in the 1890s. "Canal Street from the Clay monument." Dry-plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.

Circa 1910. "Annisquam Light. Gloucester, Massachusetts." Detroit Publishing Company glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size.

"Eager for deer. Deer-hunting beagles." Circa 1901-1906 photograph by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size.

"Chicago & North Western viaduct over Des Moines River near Boone, Iowa" ca. 1902. Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.

The Washington Bridge and High Bridge over the Harlem River along the northern boundary of Manhattan, looking south. Circa 1890 albumen print from a photograph by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.