Dennis Saul
In the 1880s, New York City was loud, busy, and growing fast. Horse-drawn carriages filled the cobblestone streets. Men in bowler hats walked quickly to work. Women in long skirts rushed to markets or laundries. Steam engines puffed smoke as they pulled trains into new rail stations. Across the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge was nearing completion, a symbol of modern engineering and the city’s ambition.
Wallace G. Levison captured many of these scenes through his camera. He wasn’t a full-time photographer. He was a chemist and a scientist. He helped found the Departments of Mineralogy and Astronomy at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences. But in his free time, he walked the streets with his camera, recording life in a growing metropolis. His photographs tell the story of a place changing faster than ever before.
In Lower Manhattan, the financial district was already a center of power. Narrow streets like Wall and Broad bustled with men in coats, dealing in stocks, insurance, and shipping. New York’s harbor remained one of the busiest in the world. Huge ships from Europe unloaded cargo and passengers at the city’s southern edge. Immigration was rising. Thousands of people stepped off ships every day, some carrying trunks, others only bundles of clothes. Many didn’t speak English. They came from Ireland, Germany, Italy, Russia, and other countries. Most of them settled in tenements.
Read more
Tenements were crowded apartment buildings, often five or six stories tall. A single floor might hold four or more families. These buildings were made fast and cheap. Many lacked indoor plumbing. Most had poor ventilation and little natural light. In neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, conditions were harsh. Children worked instead of going to school. Entire families lived in one room. Disease spread quickly. Despite these conditions, the city offered jobs and a chance at survival, which kept immigrants coming.
Street vendors lined sidewalks, selling food, clothes, and tools. Some pushed carts filled with pickles or hot chestnuts. Others stood behind wooden stands displaying shoes, soap, or pots. People shouted in many languages. Children darted between carts and carriages. Levison’s photographs often showed these street scenes in detail. He captured the uneven pavement, the piles of horse manure, and the makeshift signs written in English and Yiddish.
Horse-drawn streetcars moved slowly along tracks. They were the main form of public transport, aside from walking. Each car held about 20 passengers, and horses had to be changed every few hours due to exhaustion. Elevated railroads, called “els,” had started to appear in Manhattan. Trains ran above the streets on iron tracks, offering faster transport for those who could afford the fare. Levison took photos showing the shadow of these massive structures stretching over the street, casting parts of the city in dark lines of steel.
The skyline was low but rising. Most buildings were under six stories. A few office towers pushed past ten. These early skyscrapers used steel frames, an innovation that changed how cities would grow. Construction was noisy and constant. Workers climbed wooden scaffolds without safety gear. Bricks, lumber, and stone filled building sites. The city was under transformation in every direction.
Central Park had become a popular escape from the noise. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it offered winding paths, trees, lakes, and open lawns. Families took strolls on Sundays. Rowboats filled the pond. Levison took photos of the park’s quiet corners, showing carriages on tree-lined roads and women sitting on benches with parasols. In winter, the park hosted ice skating, a favorite activity that drew large crowds.
Brooklyn, still a separate city at the time, was growing quickly too. It was filled with churches, rowhouses, and factories. The Brooklyn Navy Yard was busy with ship construction and repairs. The neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint were home to many German and Polish immigrants. Factories there made glass, sugar, and iron tools. Levison lived in Brooklyn and often photographed it. His images show quiet residential blocks with young trees and brick homes, some still under construction.
Education in New York during the 1880s was limited by class and background. Wealthier families sent their children to private schools or hired tutors. Poorer children, especially those of immigrants, were often expected to work. Still, public schools did exist. School buildings were small and often overcrowded. Many teachers were women, expected to work long hours for little pay. Levison’s interest in science education drove his work at the Brooklyn Institute, where he helped set up labs and science exhibits.
Gas lamps lit the streets at night, but they weren’t very bright. Some neighborhoods had no street lighting at all. Crime was common, especially in poorer areas. Gangs controlled parts of the city. The police force was small and often corrupt. Night watchmen patrolled certain neighborhoods, but many people simply locked their doors and hoped for the best. Levison rarely photographed at night, but his daytime images show iron bars on windows and patrolmen standing on corners, suggesting the concern for safety.
Churches were everywhere—Catholic, Protestant, Jewish synagogues, and more. Religion played a large role in daily life, especially for immigrants. Churches helped people find jobs, learn English, and access food or clothing. Sunday was a quiet day in most areas. Businesses closed, and families dressed in their best clothes to attend services. Levison captured the contrast between busy workdays and slow Sundays in his photos. Streets that were packed on Saturday could appear empty by Sunday morning.
Newspapers were a key source of information. People bought papers from newsboys who shouted headlines on street corners. The printing presses ran all night. Some papers cost just a penny. They covered politics, crime, and gossip. Big stories from Europe or other cities were printed alongside local events. Political cartoons were common and often harsh. Literacy was rising, and people relied on newspapers to stay informed. Levison, as a scientist, also wrote articles and gave lectures to help the public understand new discoveries.
Theaters and music halls offered entertainment for those with money. Operas, plays, and vaudeville shows filled the nights. Working-class people often attended saloons or dance halls. Alcohol flowed freely, despite growing calls from temperance groups to limit or ban it. Women’s groups pushed for reform. They organized meetings and handed out leaflets. Levison’s images don’t often show nightlife, but photos of busy streets hint at how full the evenings could be.
Technology was moving forward fast. Telephones were new and rare. Electric lights were being tested in a few parts of the city. Steam engines powered factories and ferries. Typewriters were becoming common in offices. Levison used early photographic equipment that required long exposures and glass plates. Setting up a shot could take several minutes. People had to stay still, which is why many of his subjects look stiff or serious.
Garbage collection was a major problem. Horse waste, food scraps, and ash from coal stoves filled the gutters. The city struggled to keep the streets clean. Rats and stray dogs were everywhere. Public health officials began pushing for better sanitation. Doctors fought against cholera and typhoid, which spread easily in crowded conditions. Levison’s photographs often show the street level in detail—dirty gutters, full trash cans, and overflowing barrels.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings