Street Scenes

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Collection History

This digital compilation was developed in support of the NYPL website, "The African American Migration Experience," a sweeping 500-year historical narrative from the transatlantic slave trade to the Western migration, the colonization movement, the Great Migration, and the contemporary immigration of Caribbeans, Haitians, and sub-Saharan Africans.

Related Resources

NYPL. "In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience."(2005) <http://www.inmotionaame.org>

Collection Data

Description: Collection consists mainly of views of streets in west and central Harlem, New York, from the late 1800s to the 1970s. Much of the collection covers the 1930s to the 1950s. Depicted are views of thoroughfares, such as 125th Street, 135th Street and Lenox Avenue; some residential buildings; local businesses and street vendors; theaters; transportation, including elevated subway lines; residents, particularly children, involved in various activities; and some street events. Also included are views of East Harlem, and photographic reproductions of paintings and drawings depicting the rural landscape and early development of Harlem and Upper Manhattan (ca. 1800s). Images documenting Harlem during the 1900s-1920s and 1960s-1970s are limited, as are depictions of colonial New York, other sections of New York City, and other U.S. cities.
Dates / Origin: Date Created: 1901 - 1998 (Questionable)
Library locations: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division; Shelf locator: Sc Photo Street Scenes
Topics: Theaters -- New York (N.Y.); Harlem (New York, N.Y.); Street photography -- New York (N.Y.); City and town life; Commercial strips; African Americans -- Social life and customs; City dwellers; Small business; Transportation
Genres: Photographs
Physical Description: Extent: 285 items (5 boxes, 1.2 lin. ft.) 47 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 26 x 21 cm. and smaller. 210 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. and smaller. 19 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 41 x 51 cm. and smaller. 1 photographic print : col. ; 21 x 26 cm. 8 stats : b&w ; 16 x 23 cm. and smaller.
Type of Resource: Still image
Identifiers: RLIN/OCLC: NYPG03-F26; NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b15580587; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 97701f60-c6e8-012f-cd69-3c075448cc4b