Lou Lumenick

Lou Lumenick

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10 rare views of NYC from more than a century ago

Rare film reviews of New York City from more than a century ago were recently posted on the Library of Congress website. They were shot between 1898 and 1903 for the Edison Manufacturing Company and the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, which registered them for copyrights by depositing paper prints of each individual frame. Decades later, they were rephotographed on film.

Here are 10 of these 45 fascinating films — two- to three-minute “actualities’’ capturing views of a largely long-gone city that were first shown in nickelodeons and storefront theaters, as well as the LOC’s descriptions:

‘Emigrants Landing at Ellis Island’ (1903)

“The film opens with a view of the steam ferryboat William Myers, laden with passengers, approaching a dock at the Ellis Island Immigration Station. The vessel is docked, the gangway is placed, and the immigrant passengers are seen coming up the gangway and onto the dock, where they cross in front of the camera.”

‘Panorama of Blackwell’s Island’ (1903)

“This film was photographed from a boat heading south along the eastern shore of Blackwell’s Island (known today as Roosevelt Island). The island lies in the East River, between Manhattan (which can be seen in the background) and Long Island City, Queens. It is approximately one and three-quarters of a mile long, extending from 51st Street to 88th, and at the time of the filming was the location for a number of New York City’s charitable and penal institutions.

The film opens showing the lighthouse at the north end of the island (Hallet’s Cove). As the boat enters the east channel of the river, the stacks of a large brewery on Manhattan are visible in the distance. The camera pans along the island’s granite seawall (built by inmates of the Penitentiary and Workhouse) and the following buildings, in order of appearance, are shown: the New York City Lunatic Asylum; the Workhouse; the Almshouse; piers for the Queensborough (or 59th Street) Bridge, which upon completion in 1908 will span 135 feet above the island; the Almshouse Keeper’s House (originally the home of the Blackwell family, who had once owned the island); the Penitentiary; Charity Hospital.”

‘New York Fire Department Returning’ (1903)

“Shot [by Billy Bitzer of ‘Birth of a Nation’ fame] at an unidentified location in New York City, the film shows several pieces of horse-drawn fire vehicles in motion: two hook-and-ladders; two steam pumpers; a rescue wagon. Note the kids hanging on the back of some of the vehicles.”

‘New York City “Ghetto” fish market’ (1903)

“The view, photographed from an elevated camera position, looks down on a very crowded New York City street market. Rows of pushcarts and street vendors’ vehicles can be seen. The precise location is difficult to ascertain, but it is certainly on the Lower East Side, probably on or near Hester Street, which at the turn of the century was the center of commerce for New York’s Jewish ghetto. Located south of Houston Street and east of the Bowery, the ghetto population was predominantly Russian, but included immigrants from Austria, Germany, Rumania and Turkey.

According to a description in a 1901 newspaper, an estimated 1,500 pushcart peddlers were licensed to sell wares (primarily fish) in the vicinity of Hester Street. At one point, the film seems to follow three official-looking men (one in a uniform) as they walk among the crowd. They may be New York City health inspectors, who apparently monitored the fish vendors closely.”

‘Star Theatre’ (1902)

“Using time-lapse photography, the film shows the demolition of the famous Star Theatre. Judging from the various exposures, the work must have gone on for a period of approximately 30 days. The theater opened in 1861 as Wallack’s Theatre, and was rechristened the Star in 1883. It was well known for its excellent productions, and a number of celebrated actors and actresses worked there, among them Ellen Terry. The celebrated English actor Henry Irving made his first stage appearance in America at the Star.”

‘Starting a Skyscraper’ (1902)

“From a contemporary American Mutoscope and Biograph Company catalog: Taken in the immense excavation for the foundation of the new Macy Building at the corner of Broadway and 34th Street, New York. An excellent study of modern American push and enterprise.”

‘A Perilous Proceeding’ (1902)

“Location: Broadway and 13th Street, New York, NY. The film follows a group of approximately 10 men who are suspended on the cable of a large crane atop a building under construction. As the men are lifted over the site and gradually lowered, they wave to the camera.”

‘At the Foot of the Flatiron’ (1903)

“This street level view is of the Broadway side of the Flatiron, or Fuller Building, near the narrow north corner. Filmed on a very windy day, pedestrians of various descriptions are seen passing by the camera, clutching hats and skirts against the wind. According to some New York City historians, this corner was known as the windiest corner of the city, and in the era of the long skirt, standing on it was considered a good vantage point for a glimpse of a lady’s ankle. Policemen would chase away such loungers from the 23rd Street corner, giving rise to the expression ‘23 skidoo.’ ”

‘Parade of Horses on Speedway’ (1903)

“A parade of fine horses and fashionable carriages taken along what is now the Harlem River Drive, in the Highbridge section of northern Manhattan. The view is from the Manhattan side of the river looking north. On the right is the Harlem River and on the opposite bank, The Bronx. Prominent in the background is the High Bridge at 175th Street, an important landmark completed in 1842 as part of the Croton aqueduct system. Beyond the High Bridge is the Washington Bridge at 181st Street. The ‘Speedway’ was built in 1900 at a cost of over $3 million.”

‘Skating on Lake, Central Park’ (1902)

“The view is of a frozen lake in Central Park crowded with ice skaters. The film is of such poor quality that it is difficult to tell if the apparent ‘snow’ is real or just scratches on the film.”