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New York City In The 1880s: Fascinating Historical Photos Capturing Street Scenes And Everyday Life

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These stunning historical photographs show how New York City looked like in the 1880s. The images show the streets of NY, hustling crowds of Manhattan and the frolicking bathers of Coney Island. Men in the city are seen wearing suits and top hats, and women are wearing long dresses.

Wallace G. Levison captured these photographs in the late 19th century. He was a chemist and the founder of Departments of Mineralogy and Astronomy at Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences in the latter half of the 19th century. He was also an avid photographer, using the new technology both as a scientific tool and a recreational activity.

#1 Jamie Swan jumps off a short stone wall at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, June 26, 1886

Jamie Swan jumps off a short stone wall at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, June 26, 1886

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#2 Crowds of men outside the New York Tribune building in lower Manhattan, Nov. 6, 1884

Crowds of men outside the New York Tribune building in lower Manhattan, Nov. 6, 1884

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#3 Mr. Stokes jumps off a wall in Fort Greene Park.Oct. 14, 1886

Mr. Stokes jumps off a wall in Fort Greene Park.Oct. 14, 1886

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#4 Nathan Abbott and a young girl walk through Copps Hill Cemetery.May 10, 1886

Nathan Abbott and a young girl walk through Copps Hill Cemetery.May 10, 1886

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#5 Girls jump off a stone wall in Fort Greene.May 22, 1886

Girls jump off a stone wall in Fort Greene.May 22, 1886

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#6 An elephant from the Barnes Circus walks down Atlantic Street in Brooklyn June 1, 1891

An elephant from the Barnes Circus walks down Atlantic Street in Brooklyn June 1, 1891

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#7 J.M. Cornell jumps in the backyard at 314 Livingston Street.May 28, 1886

J.M. Cornell jumps in the backyard at 314 Livingston Street.May 28, 1886

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#8 J.M. Cornell jumps in the backyard at 314 Livingston Street.May 28, 1886

J.M. Cornell jumps in the backyard at 314 Livingston Street.May 28, 1886

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#9 Edith Poey jumps off a wooden pole onto the sand at Coney Island.May 15, 1887

Edith Poey jumps off a wooden pole onto the sand at Coney Island.May 15, 1887

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#10 A young black boy pulling the reins of a horse drawn coach owned by the Surf Ave. Stage Co., alongside the boardwalk at Coney Island, 1884

A young black boy pulling the reins of a horse drawn coach owned by the Surf Ave. Stage Co., alongside the boardwalk at Coney Island, 1884

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#11 Uniformed officers in riding boots walk down a street, 1886

Uniformed officers in riding boots walk down a street, 1886

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#12 Isabel Harter rides a tricycle while her sister Nellie rolls a hoop in Fort Greene.May 22, 1886

Isabel Harter rides a tricycle while her sister Nellie rolls a hoop in Fort Greene.May 22, 1886

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#13 Zelma Levison jumps in the backyard of her home at 314 Livingston Street.June 19, 1886

Zelma Levison jumps in the backyard of her home at 314 Livingston Street.June 19, 1886

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#14 Zelma Levison and her aunt Jo Grimwood throw a ball back and forth on a lawn in Prospect Park.July 20, 1886

Zelma Levison and her aunt Jo Grimwood throw a ball back and forth on a lawn in Prospect Park.July 20, 1886

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#15 A group of young male bathers walk single file along the beach.Aug. 23, 1886

A group of young male bathers walk single file along the beach.Aug. 23, 1886

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#16 H.B. Leckler’s dog Mace poses atop a chair in Fort Greene.Dec. 9, 1886

H.B. Leckler’s dog Mace poses atop a chair in Fort Greene.Dec. 9, 1886

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#18 Maggie Ward stands on the end of a diving board at Coney Island.July 24, 1888

Maggie Ward stands on the end of a diving board at Coney Island.July 24, 1888

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#19 Miss Brown holds a cob of maize for a squirrel to eat.1888

Miss Brown holds a cob of maize for a squirrel to eat.1888

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#20 A man in a barrel does a push up at the beach.Sept. 8, 1897

A man in a barrel does a push up at the beach.Sept. 8, 1897

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#21 Dr. Ernest Palmer and wife join hands to make a bar so that their dog can jump over it.April 15, 1900

Dr. Ernest Palmer and wife join hands to make a bar so that their dog can jump over it.April 15, 1900

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#22 Gertrude Hubbell, Ruth Peters, and Mildred Grimwood play near the water at Arverne, Queens.Sept. 8, 1897

Gertrude Hubbell, Ruth Peters, and Mildred Grimwood play near the water at Arverne, Queens.Sept. 8, 1897

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#23 Two well-dressed women playing lawn tennis next to a lake, New York, 1880s

Two well-dressed women playing lawn tennis next to a lake, New York, 1880s

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#24 Seven young girls incl. Isabel and Nellie Harter, Nellie and Edie Dwight, Zelma Levison and Edie Swan standing on a wall with two women, New York, 1886

Seven young girls incl. Isabel and Nellie Harter, Nellie and Edie Dwight, Zelma Levison and Edie Swan standing on a wall with two women, New York, 1886

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#25 A boy leans against a bicycle in the foreground as people in the background ride their bikes through the arch at Prospect Park during a bicycle parade, Brooklyn, New York, June 15, 1895.

A boy leans against a bicycle in the foreground as people in the background ride their bikes through the arch at Prospect Park during a bicycle parade, Brooklyn, New York, June 15, 1895.

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#26 Ethel Merritt jumps in the air at Coney Island.June 11, 1886

Ethel Merritt jumps in the air at Coney Island.June 11, 1886

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#27 An actor talks with bathers on the beach.Aug. 24, 1886

An actor talks with bathers on the beach.Aug. 24, 1886

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#29 Acrobats perform a balancing act on the backs of a pair of horses as crowds watch at Coney Island’s Dreamland

Acrobats perform a balancing act on the backs of a pair of horses as crowds watch at Coney Island’s Dreamland

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#31 Italian immigrants walking down a narrow sidewalk near the Fulton Ferry, New York, 1880s

Italian immigrants walking down a narrow sidewalk near the Fulton Ferry, New York, 1880s

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#32 Men walking by the statue of George Washington on Wall St, New York, 1884

Men walking by the statue of George Washington on Wall St, New York, 1884

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#33 Five girls who will be competing in a swimming match posing by the shoreline at Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, 1887

Five girls who will be competing in a swimming match posing by the shoreline at Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, 1887

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#34 People hanging around outside railroad station, which has signs on it saying TILLY FOSTER MINES, New York, 1889

People hanging around outside railroad station, which has signs on it saying TILLY FOSTER MINES, New York, 1889

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#35 A foreman and two workers preparing a house at 314 Livingston St. for moving, New York, 1889

A foreman and two workers preparing a house at 314 Livingston St. for moving, New York, 1889

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#36 Mildred Grimwood jumps in the backyard at 314 Livingston Street as brother Victor Grimwood and pal Zelma Levison look on.June 20, 1886

Mildred Grimwood jumps in the backyard at 314 Livingston Street as brother Victor Grimwood and pal Zelma Levison look on.June 20, 1886

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31 Comments

  3. Being able to capture motion as an in-focus, sharp still was quite novel at that time. “Snapshots” were also relatively recent as the magic of photography moved from the realm of expensive professionals and long sit times into faster chemistry and faster lenses in more compact packages.

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