NYC Albumen Photo - NY Stock Exchange, Wall Street, 5th Ave, Washington Sq Arch+

Title:
Early 20th-Century Albumen Photograph Display Featuring New York City Landmarks and Hudson River Views

Description:
This exceptional early 20th-century albumen photograph display features a total of seven mounted photographs—two circular images on the front and five (one circular and four rectangular) on the reverse—offering a rich visual tour of New York City and the Hudson River Valley. Each image is mounted on a cream-colored cardstock backing with handwritten captions identifying the scenes.

Front Side:

• Left Image: “Jewish Synagogue, Fifth Ave. & 76 St. N.Y.” — A detailed view of the Central Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogue buildings in continuous use in the United States, captured with a horse-drawn carriage in the foreground.

• Right Image: “Residence, Fifth Ave. & 79th St. N.Y.” — A grand private home typical of the upscale architecture that once lined Fifth Avenue near Central Park, showing wide, open streets and early urban life.

Back Side:

• Center (Circular): “Madison Sq. Bank, Madison Sq. N.Y.” — A bustling scene from Madison Square, showing the commercial vitality of early 20th-century Manhattan.

• Top Left: “Stormking Mtn. on the Hudson.” — A scenic landscape of Storm King Mountain, a prominent peak along the Hudson River.

• Top Right: “Pollepel’s Island in the Hudson below Newburgh.” — Better known today as Bannerman’s Island, this small island was home to the famous Bannerman’s Arsenal and is shown here in its early natural state.

• Bottom Left: “White Star Steamer ‘Rame’ (sideview) N.Y. Harbor.” — A side profile of a White Star Line vessel, likely the RMS Rame, docked or steaming in New York Harbor.

• Bottom Right: “White Star Steamer ‘Rame’ (endview).” — A rear view of the same vessel, emphasizing its size and form as it rests in harbor waters.

Historical Context:
These images provide an invaluable snapshot of turn-of-the-century New York, highlighting both the grandeur of the city’s architecture and the beauty of its surrounding landscapes. The Central Synagogue, completed in 1872, and private mansions along Fifth Avenue illustrate the cultural and economic strength of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Meanwhile, the river scenes reflect the natural majesty of the Hudson River Valley, a region long celebrated by artists and travelers alike.

The inclusion of a White Star Line steamship situates this piece firmly in the maritime context of New York as a global port city, possibly capturing vessels from the same fleet as the Titanic, which sailed under White Star beginning in the early 1900s.

Closing Appeal:
This multi-image albumen display is a rich and varied historical artifact that beautifully blends architectural, maritime, and landscape photography. Ideal for collectors of New York City history, early photography, or Hudson River ephemera, it offers a sweeping visual narrative of New York at the height of its Gilded Age-to-Progressive Era transformation.