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Panoramic photography

The Aerial Views of Robert Moses

By the late 1950s, Robert Moses, the legendary “power broker,” was at the peak of his decades-long career in public service. He served, simultaneously, as Commissioner of the Department of Parks, City Construction Coordinator, Chairman of the Mayor’s Committee on Slum Clearance, Commissioner on the City Planning Commission, Chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, Chairman of the New York State Council of Parks, President of the Long Island State Park Commission, and Chairman of the Power Authority of the State of New York. 

New York Midtown Skyline View south (Lincoln Center), November 1955. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Municipal Archives collection of records created by Moses as Parks Department Commissioner, described in an earlier For the Record article, documents not just city parks, but also the highways, bridges, tunnels, housing projects, playgrounds, and beaches he constructed. It includes information about the Lincoln Center complex, the United Nations’ building, the New York Coliseum, Shea Stadium and both the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs.

This week, For the Record highlights aerial photographic views in the Parks Department collection. Moses contracted with commercial photographers for the aerial views. Images in the collection date to the 1930s, the samples below are from the mid-to-late 1950s when Moses’ portfolio had expanded beyond parks to all of the other construction projects. The photographers flew in planes over the city and used large-format cameras.  The original negatives were scanned at high resolution. All of the images can be viewed in the Municipal Archives Gallery.  

These spectacular images show New York from above in its thriving post-War years when the old city was giving way to the new.

Orchard Beach, Pelham Bay Park, Bronx, 1956. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Midtown Manhattan (Lincoln Center), 1955. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

West Park Title 1 Housing, March 14, 1956. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Soundview Park and Throgs Neck Expressway, June 12, 1957. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Mid-Harlem and City College, June 12, 1957. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Penn Station South Slum Clearance, June 12, 1957. (Note strut from airplane wing in upper left.) Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Battery Park, June 12, 1957. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Corlears Hook Park, November 3, 1958. (Note car float in East River.) Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

East River Park , Title 1 housing, November 3, 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Washington Square South-East, November 3, 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

George Washington Bridge (not yet double-decked) and Harlem Speedway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Bruckner Expressway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway progress, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Harlem River, Major Deegan Expressway and Yankee Stadium, November 17, 1953. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Throgs Neck Expressway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Long Island Expressway, looking west from Cross Island Parkway, November 1958. Department of Parks photograph collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

We’ll Be Back!

We’ll Be Back!

New York is a destination city. In 2019, more than 66 million visitors from the United States and around the world enjoyed sights and venues throughout the city with maybe only a “sold out” notice spoiling their good times. Preliminary numbers for 2020 looked like it would be another record-breaker. That is, until 8 p.m., March 22nd, when Governor Andrew Cuomo put New York State on “pause,” closing all but essential businesses and requiring residents to “shelter-in-place.” Overnight, the city’s entire $70-billion tourism industry evaporated.

Brooklyn Bridge and the lower Manhattan skyline, ca. 1987. The iconic towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the greatest public-works achievements of the 19th Century, has attracted photographers since completion in 1883. New York Convention and Vis…

Brooklyn Bridge and the lower Manhattan skyline, ca. 1987. The iconic towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the greatest public-works achievements of the 19th Century, has attracted photographers since completion in 1883. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Times Square, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Times Square, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The current travel restrictions present an un-precedented and unique circumstance in New York City’s history. With the exception of a relatively short period after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, and the occasional blizzard or hurricane, visitors have enjoyed “the city that never sleeps,” without interruption.

New Yorkers are looking forward to the day when we will once again welcome friends and visitors to explore this great metropolis. In the meantime, we can ‘virtually’ visit some of the city’s most popular attractions as depicted in pictures commissioned by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau in the mid-1980s. It is a small collection—only 52 transparencies—but their bright colors and iconic scenery showcase what the city has to offer. Although the pictures are not dated, based on signs and banners, it appears the bulk were taken in 1986 or 1987. 

Fifth Avenue entrance, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, ca. 1987. The Museum’s entrance steps have long served as a welcome respite for visitors and a prime location for people watching. The Museum is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2020. New York …

Fifth Avenue entrance, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, ca. 1987. The Museum’s entrance steps have long served as a welcome respite for visitors and a prime location for people watching. The Museum is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2020. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau created the photographs to illustrate their promotional materials. Formed in 1934 by merchants, hotel owners and other businesses to bring conventions to the city, the Bureau is a non-profit making entity. The Bureau and its companion organization, NYC & Company, are not city agencies, although they do receive budget support from tax-levy funds.

United Nations member flags welcome visitors to another popular city destination, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

United Nations member flags welcome visitors to another popular city destination, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The bronze sculpture of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center is a can’t miss midtown attraction, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The bronze sculpture of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center is a can’t miss midtown attraction, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Given the many enduring wonders of the city it would seem that the Bureau’s job would be easy. But there were times when promoting the city was a challenge. “Has New York's image unjustifiably soured, from Fun City to Crime City?” headlined a June 14, 1972, New York Times story about the Bureau’s launch of their annual “New York is a Summer Festival.” For the coronation of Ms. Bernadette Allen, the 19th-annual Summer Festival Queen that year, the Bureau hosted a gala event at one of the city’s premier tourist venues, the Empire State Building. They enlisted celebrities such as Duke Ellington and the “ageless” actress Gloria Swanson to preside over the festival. It is not entirely clear how Swanson’s remarks at the launch, as quoted in the Times, would help to promote tourism: “I chose to live in New York City in 1938 because I pay taxes here.” Perhaps the comment she added, “I’m the hostess with the mostest,” better served the cause. 

The Twin Towers dominate the pre-9/11 Lower Manhattan nighttime skyline, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Twin Towers dominate the pre-9/11 Lower Manhattan nighttime skyline, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Over the next several decades, the city experienced a renaissance and with it, tourism boomed. According to the Bureau, in 1977, more than 16 million tourists visited the city. By 1990, the figure climbed to 20 million, and surpassed 31 million by the end of the decade. After 9/11, tourism in the city gradually escalated up to 54 million in 2013. In 2019, the Bureau counted more than 66 million visitors—53.1 domestic travelers; and 13.5 arriving from overseas.

Taxis in Manhattan, ca. 1987. By the late 1980s, the Chevrolet Caprice had replaced the once-ubiquitous Checker Cab as the taxi of choice for fleet owners. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Taxis in Manhattan, ca. 1987. By the late 1980s, the Chevrolet Caprice had replaced the once-ubiquitous Checker Cab as the taxi of choice for fleet owners. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Antique auto in the Coney Island Boardwalk parade, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Antique auto in the Coney Island Boardwalk parade, ca. 1987. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Aqueduct Raceway in Queens, ca. 1987. The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau used their promotional materials to lure visitors to attractions outside Manhattan. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Aqueduct Raceway in Queens, ca. 1987. The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau used their promotional materials to lure visitors to attractions outside Manhattan. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Queens Borough President Panoramic Photographs, part 2

Aerial and panoramic views of New York City are some of the most popular photographs in the Municipal Archives collection. The August 30th blog post described our project to digitize the photographs from the Queens Borough President’s office and highlighted a series of panoramic images dating from the 1920s and 1930s. The collection now is completely digitized. It totals approximately 10,500 images, of which 1,296 are panoramas. Once the new digital images are processed, they will be added to the on-line gallery. This blog post offers a ‘sneak peak’ of the amazing panoramas. Future blogs will feature other images in this fascinating collection.

P-856: Elevated view of Long Island City south of the Queensboro Bridge (visible at right), looking toward Manhattan, November 16, 1929. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

P-856-a: Elevated view of Long Island City, November 16, 1929. The Chrysler Building is at the center of the Manhattan skyline. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

P-856-b: Elevated view of Long Island City, looking north towards the Queensboro Bridge, November 16, 1929. The school that would later become MoMA PS1 is just beyond the rail yards. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

P-856-c: Elevated view of the Sunnyside train yards, November 16, 1929. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

P-918-b: Nassau River (Newtown Creek), July 10, 1930. The Chrysler Building is visible in the distant Manhattan skyline. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

P-987-c: View of Manhattan skyline from Long Island City, January 1, 1934. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Visible buildings include the Vanderbilt Hotel, Empire State, 10 East 40th Street, Daily News, Chanin, Lincoln, Chrysler, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York Central, Grand Central Palace, RCA, Waldorf Astoria, General Electric, River House, Savoy Plaza, Ritz Towers, Sherry Netherlands.

The Queens Borough President Panoramic Photographs

Alley Pond, Queens, June 15, 1927. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Staff at the Municipal Archives  continue to digitize the historical collections including paper records, books, motion pictures, maps, plans, and photographs. My current assignment is the Queens Borough President photograph collection. The thousands of fascinating pictures includes a series of panoramic images. They were taken mostly during the 1920s and 1930s by the Topographical Bureau in the Borough President’s office, under the direction of the Engineer in Charge, Charles Underhill Powell. 

Powell’s tenure coincided with a time of rapid change in Queens. A borough that had long been mostly sparsely populated farmland was quickly becoming a diverse urban landscape. This required a drastic overhaul of the borough’s infrastructure, and engineers like Powell went out to survey, document, design, and plan.

Skaters on Alley Pond, Queens, February 8, 1930. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The photographers generally used standard 8x10 inch sheet film, a format still popular for the high resolution it provides. Sometimes, though, an 8x10 negative just wasn’t good enough. In these situations, the photographers turned to what is known as a banquet camera. Originally intended for photographing large groups of people, the wide negatives (usually either 7x17" or 12x20") offered a lot of space to squeeze an entire crowd or banquet hall into one frame. Banquet cameras fell out of favor when medium format and other roll film formats were invented, allowing more flexibility and ease of use in event photography. But landscape and architectural photographers adopted the banquet camera for the precision, resolution, and wide angle of view it offered.

Nassau Boulevard, looking east from Main Street, Queens, August 20, 1928. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Queens panoramic negatives (which are all 7x17") present a digitization challenge. Because of their width, they cannot be captured at high resolution in one shot with an overhead camera and they are too fragile for a flatbed scanner. There is an alternative: stitching. I photographed each negative in three shots, which partially overlap with each other. I then ran a Photoshop script to stitch them together. This has worked surprisingly well, even on the most deteriorated negatives. These advancing technologies and workflows allow us to make these beautiful images, which document an important period in New York City history, available to the public.

Little Neck Parkway, looking north at Union Turnpike, Queens, July 16, 1931. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Under the elevated train, 31st Street, looking north at 23rd Avenue, Queens, August 28, 1935. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Grand Central Parkway, looking west, Queens, October 27, 1938. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Main Street, looking north at 72nd Avenue, Queens, May 27, 1937. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

Queens Boulevard, looking west, October 25, 1938. Borough President Queens Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.