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New York circa 1905. "Flat-iron corner after snowstorm." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Only discovered this site today, can't stop watching. Incredible.
With all of those horses, I'm sure the pure even whiteness of the snow didn't last for long.
and stayed that way for a long time I'm sure with no car exhaust. I wonder if the air pollution made the snow less pristine over time.
[The winter air in any big city a hundred years ago would have been full of coal soot -- much dirtier than it is today. - Dave]
This picture raises a question I never thought about before. What did they use to plow snow then? Something like the horse-drawn road graders of the day?
There's so much to take in here. It's 11:30, and the man who's in the forefront on the sidewalk has real pep in his step. He looks so modern. Not many women around, unless they're in the carriages. I've never seen that interesting thin building before. [I think you probably have -- it's the Flatiron Building. - Dave]
The streets are plowed quite well. I'm amazed at how some photos look so much like today. A few changes and this looks like Anytown, USA. I guess it's because everything is covered up.
I was actually walking around this area on Monday and this picture gives me the chills from how similar it is to two days ago—except for the roads, of course.
Amazing photo. The fact that there isn't an automobile in sight is interesting. Maybe horses worked better in this weather.
I remember last time I was snowed in during a Manhattan blizzard, the traffic cop went around digging holes through the snow piles to put tickets on the windshields.
Luckily they couldn't do that back then.
Two days ago in Zip Code 10010, where the Flatiron Building is located, 20 or more inches of snow fell. In December 1905 there was a blizzard that dropped 21.6 inches. That was followed in January with another 18.4 inches. I guess the cleanup was no more fun then that it is now. In any case, now that the rains in Southern California have abated it's time for us to head for Palm Desert, where we'll spend the rest of the winter. Frankly, the cold doesn't bother me that much, but the snow and ice covered streets can be very intimidating.
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