Amazing film footage of New York City about a century ago. This was the time when the motor car had started to rapidly replace horse-and-cart transportation in developed cities across the World. It resulted in cleaner streets, free from horse droppings, but also added to the already existing air polution due to further industrialization. Maybe I should have chosen "Steam and air polution in New York around 1920" as the title. There are plenty of shots of chimneys, factories, trains and tugs belting out huge amounts of steam.
The film shows many well know parts of New York as well as the arrival of the RMS Aquitania (nick named "Ship Beautiful") in New York's harbor. For more detailed information, please refer to the timeline below.
The many original B&W film fragments have been motion-stabilized, individually speed corrected, enhanced and colorized by means of modern Artificial Intelligence video software.
The music is by Megan Wofford.
The tiles are: " Iridescence", "Evolving", "Aroma" and "Dear Mama".
Source: Archive.org and other.
Filmed by: Paul Strand & Charles Sheeler in 1921.
Please DO NOT re-use my material on Youtube. Thank you.
Timeline (please help to complete this, thank you!):
00:00 New York Waterfront in 1921
00:32 Staten Island ferry arriving
01:55 Graveyard of Episcopal Trinity Church on Broadway in the Financial District
02:24 J. P. Morgan & Company Building (Built 1913, Architects Trowbridge & Livingston)
02:28 Street market (Possibly Orchard street)
02:48 Fifth Avenue Mansions at 79th Street and 5th Avenue
03:11 American Museum of Natural History (Built 1874, Architect J. Cleaveland Cady)
03:21 Riverside Drive near 105th Street. 325 Riverside Drive (Built 1920)
03:27 View of the Woolworth Building (Built 1913, Architect Cass Gilbert)
04:08 More skyscrapers under construction
04:58 New York, the steam & smoke city.
05:02 View of the Equitable Building (Built 1915, Architect Ernest R. Graham)
05:31 Location (?)
05:59 Screen right, view of buildings along lower Broadway
06:53 View over the river Hudson
07:18 View of the top of Bankers Trust Company Building-14 Wall Street (Built 1912)
07:32 Steam trains galore
07:48 A New York, Ontario, and Western Railway’s 4-6-0 center cab “Camelback” locomotive
07:58 Partial view of the New York Central Railroad’s Weehawken Terminal
08:22 RMS Aquitania arriving in New York Harbor, Pier 21 (?)
08:47 New York City fire boat “Thomas Willet”
09:00 Tugs pushing the RMS Aquitania
10:38 Brooklyn bridge
10:51 Sunset over the Hudson river
11:30 Early traffic, busy streets and congestion at Lower Broadway
11:34 Spire of Trinity Church (Built 1846, Architect Richard Upjohn)
11:44 The Elevated railway ("the "EL") from above: The Sixth Avenue Line at Trinity Place
11:57 View of 6th Avenue from the tower of Trinity Church
12:13 Busy traffic and electric trams
12:19 A beautiful sunset over the Hudson river, operated by New York Railways Corporation
Please help to complete this timetine!
Many thanks to Charles Crawford. See his comment on 5 July.
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