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Old photos of New York

11 photographs of New York, from 1900 to 2015 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of New York? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 11 photographs of New York on PlaceWas span 5 decades, from 1900 to 2015. 9 of them were taken before 1980; the other 2 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.1 spot was photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.10 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in New York through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

New York City, New York — photos through time
New York City 5 photos · 1900–2015

Stories from New York

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Dewey Arch, New York, New York, 1900
Dewey Arch, New York 1900 The Dewey Arch rises over a New York City street in this 1900 photograph. The temporary triumphal arch was erected the previous year at Madison Square to celebrate Admiral George Dewey's naval victory at Manila Bay, and…
Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 1900
Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge 1900 Manhattan's skyline is viewed from the Brooklyn Bridge in this 1900 photograph, capturing the city as it stood at the turn of the century, less than two decades after the bridge itself had opened to the public in 1883.
New York City, New York, 1900
New York City 1900 Central Park Bridges (view from Bridlepath looking southwest), Gothic Arch, Spanning bridlepath south of tennis courts, north of reservoir, New York City, New York County, NY
Statue of Liberty, New York, 1900
Statue of Liberty 1900 September 11 attacks in New York City: View of the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty . (Image: US National Park Service )
Manhattan Bridge Construction, New York, 1909
Manhattan Bridge Construction 1909 Manhattan Bridge, made March 23rd, 1909. Marine terminal at Main and Plymouth Streets in foreground; bridge under construction in background. Original image cropped slightly.
Rockefeller Center, December, New York, 1933
Rockefeller Center, December 1933 " New York City views. Rockefeller Center and RCA Building from 515 Madison Ave . In 2004, the Library contracted with Chicago Albumen Works to preserve this deteriorating acetate negative by removing and relaxing the…
Panorama of Manhattan's West Side from Across the Hudson, New York, 1945
Panorama of Manhattan's West Side from Across the Hudson 1945 Panorama of Manhattan's West Side from Across the Hudson, celebrating Navy Day and the end of the Second World War, showing ships at harbor including the U.S.S. Midway, the largest ship in the world at the time. Vintage…
Times Square, New York, 1950
Times Square 1950 While assisting in setting up a robotic camera just above the 3 in "2013" this is what it looked like when I looked down.
1900s · 5 photos
Dewey Arch, New York, New York, 1900
Dewey Arch, New York 1900
Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 1900
Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge 1900
Statue of Liberty, New York, 1900
Statue of Liberty 1900
New York City, New York, 1900
New York City 1900
Manhattan Bridge Construction, New York, 1909
Manhattan Bridge Construction 1909
1930s · 2 photos
New York skyline, New York, 1932
New York skyline 1932
Rockefeller Center, December, New York, 1933
Rockefeller Center, December 1933
1940s · 1 photo
Panorama of Manhattan's West Side from Across the Hudson, New York, 1945
Panorama of Manhattan's West Side from Across the Hudson 1945
1950s · 1 photo
Times Square, New York, 1950
Times Square 1950
2010s · 2 photos
Staircase and Column Study, New York, 2015
Staircase and Column Study 2015
Bitpixdigital cityhall, New York, 2015
Bitpixdigital cityhall 2015