The Industrial Revolution was at its height in the mid-19th century, but it was still in full swing in the early 20th century, when these photos were taken. They offer a portrait of the U.S. looking profoundly different. But it was also when we built many of our great bridges and public works, so some things have remained the same.
Mott Street, Chinatown, New York, c. 1900
(via Shorpy)
The Flatiron Building under construction, New York City, c. 1902
(via Library of Congress)
Times Square, New York City, c. 1904
(via Library of Congress)
Broadway and Times Building (1 Times Square), New York City, c. 1905
(via Shorpy)
The Main Tower in Luna Park, Coney Island, New York City, c. 1905
(via Shorpy)
Manhattan entrance to Brooklyn Bridge, New York, c. 1905
(via Library of Congress)
Night in Luna Park, Coney Island, New York City, c. 1905
(via Shorpy)
Atlantic City bathers in front of the Marlborugh-Blenheim Hotel, the Hotel Traymore and Brady's Baths, 1906
(via Shorpy)
Williamsburg Bridge Plaza, New York City, c. 1906
(via Library of Congress)
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 1907
(via Barthworks)
Workers dig the street along the sidewalk on the north side of Delancey Street, New York, July 1908
(via AP Photo/New York City Municipal Archives, Department of Bridges/ Plant & Structures, Eugene de Salignac)
The Shelton Square with the St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral, the Prudential Building and the Erie County Savings Bank in Buffalo, New York, c. 1908
(via Shorpy)
The superstructure from the Manhattan Bridge rises above Washington Street, New York, June 1908
(via AP Photo/New York City Municipal Archives, Department of Bridges / Plant & Structures, Eugene de Salignac)
Manhattan Bridge, 1909
(via Library of Congress)
Unloading cotton from a paddle steamer named City St. Joseph in Memphis, Tennessee, c. 1910
(via Shorpy)
Claude Grahame-White, famed British aeronaut landed his Farman biplane in West Executive Ave., Washington, D.C. on Oct. 14, 1910.
(via AP Photo)
Dearborn Street Station, Chicago, c. 1910
(via Shorpy)
Wall Street, 1911
(via Library of Congress)
The East Cambridge Bridge in Boston, c. 1912
(via Shorpy)
Big buildings of Lower Manhattan, c. 1912
(via Shorpy)
Elizabeth Street, New York, 1912
(via 367art)
The Detroit City Hall an the Dime Savings Bank under construction, August 1912
(via Shorpy)
Painters are suspended from wires on the Brooklyn Bridge, New York, October 1914
(via AP Photo / New York City Municipal Archives, Department of Bridges / Plant & Structures, Eugene de Salignac)
New York Public Library, 1915
(via Antalik)
An ice fountain on Washington Boulevard, Detroit, Michigan, 1910s
(via Library of Congress)
onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Century-Old Photos of the U.S. Take Us Back to the Industrial Revolution