Photographers Archives - Page 152 of 163

Empire State Building (3)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The view in 2011:

The caption of the first photo is “Icarus, high up on Empire State.” However, this worker, thankfully, did not have his wings (cable?) melt. Both photos show some of the changes in the area looking north of the Empire State Building, toward the Upper West Side, the Hudson River, and New Jersey beyond it. The only readily-identifiable building from both photos is the large white building in the lower right corner of the 931 photo – it is barely noticeable in the same area of the 2011 photo.

Empire State Building (2)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The same view in 2011:

These historic photos, which capture the human element of the construction of the Empire State Building, also show how much midtown New York has changed in the past 80 years. One prominent landmark that didn’t even exist in 1931 was the Rockefeller Center, whose construction was just beginning when the first photo was taken. It is now easily visible in the upper center of the 2011 photo.

Empire State Building (1)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A worker atop the Empire State Building in 1931. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library.

The same view in 2011:

The view from atop the Empire State Building, looking north toward the Upper West Side and the Hudson River. Central Park is seen prominently in the 1931 photo, but it is barely visible 80 years later, as the increasing height of the skyscrapers has all but blocked it from view.

Washington Monument, Washington DC

January 23, 2016December 31, 2013 by Derek Strahan

The Washington Monument, around 1860. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Brady-Handy Collection.

The monument in 2012:

Ever notice how the bottom third of the Washington Monument is a few shades lighter than the upper part? The top photo shows why. Taken by noted Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, it shows the monument during the long stoppage in construction. The construction started in 1848, and made it about 150 feet up by 1854, when work was halted, at first due to fundraising issues and later because of the Civil War. Construction resumed in 1877, and was completed in 1884, at the height of 555 feet. It was topped off with a 100-ounce aluminum apex. At the time, aluminum was a precious metal, and it also served as a lightning rod.

Ellis Island, New York

January 23, 2016December 31, 2013 by Derek Strahan

Ellis Island, as it appeared around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The view in 2012:

Opened in 1892, Ellis Island served as an immigration center until 1954, and during that time about 12 immigrants were processed there. The first building burned in a 1897 fire, and the present building was opened in 1900. The island itself was significantly expanded both before and after the 1905 photo, which was the subject of a border dispute between New York and New Jersey. The Supreme Court ruled that only the original part of the island is New York, and the artificial fill is New Jersey, meaning that the New York section is completely surrounded by New Jersey.

Old Capitol Prison, Washington DC

December 30, 2016December 28, 2013 by Derek Strahan

The Old Capitol Prison, around 1863. Photo by Mathew Brady, courtesy of the National Archives.

The building around 1866. Photo by William R. Pywell, courtesy of the Library of Congress, Civil War Collection.

Between 1910 and 1920. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same location in 2012:

Clearly, much has changed in 147 years at the corner of 1st St. NE and A St. NE. The building in the first two photos (which is actually the same building in the third photo) is the Old Capitol Prison. As its name suggests, the building once served as the temporary United States Capitol. After the Capitol was burned in the War of 1812, this building was hastily built to serve as the Capitol until the repairs could be completed.

After Congress and the Supreme Court returned to the Capitol in 1819, the building was used as a private school and later as a boarding house. It was in this boarding house that former Vice President John C. Calhoun died in 1850; years earlier he had served as a Representative from South Carolina in the same building. During the Civil War, the building was used as a prison, and in 1867 it was sold and converted into rowhouses, as seen in the third photo. In 1929, it was demolished to allow for the construction of the US Supreme Court building, which, as seen in the 2012 photo, remains on the site today.