Novel Inspiration: Images of Old New York

When I'm working on a novel, I collect images of people for character reference, but I also collect images of places -- and collecting images of Old New York was essential to the writing of DANCING AT THE CHANCE. At the turn of the last century, New York was such a different place than it is today, and old photos were the surest way to fact-check. At a glance, you can see what buildings were there, and which were not. How people moved around (by horse-drawn conveyances primarily, but automobiles were beginning to appear by 1907). How people dressed. And generally get a feel for the place.

I have several books of old photographs (and I list a few of the most influential ones in the novel's Historical Note), but the Internet now makes many, many of these old images available to anyone with access and a sense of curiosity.

I'm collecting some of my favorites over on my "Old New York" Pinterest board, which you can find here.

And I've posted a few others below.

I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do.

Union Square, 1906

Norfolk and Hester Street, circa 1898

Hester Street, 1903

Herald Square,circa 1900

Common newsstand, circa 1902

Photos are all in the public domain and available at Wikimedia Commons.