These Vintage Photos of New York City Will Make You Want to Time Travel
Widely known as the city that never sleeps, New York could also be called the city that's never empty, either: with nearly 8.5 million residents packed into its 305 square miles, it sees more than 50 million annual visitors, and is considered one of the best cities in the world thanks to its prowess in art, architecture, fashion, food, and design. And while it's nearly impossible to imagine the Big Apple today without some of its iconic scenescapes—Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and Washington Square—these decades-old photographs, taken in 1935 by celebrated image-maker Berenice Abbott, give us a glimpse.
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryManhattan skyline, South Street and Jones Lane
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public Library422-424 Lenox Avenue, Harlem, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryHerald Square, 34th Street and Broadway, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryInterior of Penn Station, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryChelsea Hotel, 222 West 23rd Street, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryPike and Henry Streets, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryHester Street, between Allen and Orchard Streets, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryGraham and Metropolitan Avenues, Brooklyn
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryGramercy Park, Nos. 3-5, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryNewsstand, 32nd Street and Third Avenue, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryWashington Square looking north, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryAutomat, 977 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryBlossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryA & P (Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.), 246 Third Avenue, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryPark Avenue and 39th Street, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryBroome Street, Nos. 504-506, Manhattan
Photo by Berenice Abbott/Courtesy New York Public LibraryFish market, South Street, Manhattan
Katherine LaGrave is the former senior digital editor at Condé Nast Traveler. She grew up in Germany, Indonesia, and Japan, and has worked in Haiti, Greece, and the United Kingdom. Her work has appeared in Outside, Popular Science, BBC Travel, Vanity Fair, National Geographic Traveler, and *The New... Read more