1860s-1870s
The bustle of commercial and consumer exchanges at this intersection quickly attracted the stereoview industry. This stereoscopic view, taken from Barnum’s American Museum looking north, is handcolored, which added to its visual appeal in a stereoviewer. Stereoscopes promoted the popularity of New York street views, particularly through the efforts of the E. & H. T. Anthony firm, whose advertisements targeted tourists for the purchase of souvenirs.
Edward Anthony and Henry T. Anthony. Broadway from Barnum’s Museum Looking North, 1860. From Anthony’s Instantaneous Views No. 321. Hand-colored albumen silver prints from glass negatives (stereoscopic views), published by E. & H. T. Anthony & Company. Robert N. Dennis Collection of Stereoscopic Views, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
