Visualizing 19th-Century New York Digital Publication

Nineteenth-century artists frequently depicted the busy Broadway street scene, which appealed to popular conceptions of the New York street as a crowded and exciting environment. In this 1875 lithograph, Broadway appears in a state of controlled chaos. As policemen direct traffic, numerous horse-drawn vehicles navigate the street and daring pedestrians dart among them. The hectic street depicted here also attests to the city’s thriving economy: note the sidewalks crowded with shoppers and the wagons hauling lumber and hay into the city.

— Claire McRee