Friday, September 28, 2012

Alice Austen's 1896 NYC 5

 The fifth in a series of New York City street scenes taken by photographer Alice Austen in 1896.  Photos from the NYPL.  Above, Street Sweeper.

 Ash Cart.

 Messenger.

 Policeman.

Newsboy (and girl).

2 comments:

Old Grey Dog said...

That photo of the messenger boy, IN MOTION, is amazing considering the state of photography in 1896. There was no way that Miss Austen could know if the subject would come out in sharp focus, which he DID !!! She had to be in perfect sync with the movement to get the subject perfectly sharp and the background a blurr !!!

Anonymous said...

O.G.D.,

I get the feeling he was a cooperative subject and deliberately pedaled as slow as he possibly could - otherwise the background would be much blurrier. Having stated that, the picture quality is still a notable achievement.

The one that really fascinates me is the last one of the newsboy and girl. Those aren't the faces of children of today. They look like they're no more than ten years old with the faces of young adults. That must have been a no-nonsense period for children to grow up in.