Let our old, historic photos of NYC take you back to a time when art deco was in its infancy, New York subway rides were a nickel, police walked the beat, NYC doctors made house calls and phone calls were made in telephone booths. Read More

Envision a growing metropolis in the 1920s and 1930s, with buildings reaching for the sky and bridges stretching across rivers like never before. A 20th century industrial revolution was transpiring in Manhattan, NYC and the world.

New York, like many cities after 1929 were struggling from the Great Depression that left countless people homeless. People looking for work gathered daily at NYC construction sites in the hope that they will get a pay check. But how did all this construction continue in an economy that didn't have any money? The answer, most of this money was allocated long before the depression hit.

Many of these pictures here at historyinphotos.com of old New York echo the new trend of the times, called art deco, an eclectic style reflected in the new, larger buildings that were emerging, dominating the older ones that preceded them. This building style flourished in New York and Chicago, creating an intriguing contrast between old and new. The Victorian and cast iron architecture that was familiar to New Yorkers, succumbed to the new look of art deco design and resulted in a permanent change to the skyline of Manhattan.

Along with this came the people who were experiencing a technological boom, an alcohol prohibition and the Great Depression, but they lived it up in the speak easys, dancing to the music of the times and later on, dancing the popular music of swing.

Our photographer Joseph H. Sachs (1901-2000) draws us into this time period, with photos that entice us to become not just an observer, but also a participant, with a feeling that you are almost living the times of the early 1920s and 1930s in New York City.

Please feel free to browse the many photos we have of old New York and contact us with any questions you may have.

Interested in purchasing prints of these fabulous photos of New York in the Swing Era? Visit our Old NYC merchandise site! Here you can purchase photos, t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads and an assortment of additional items. You will also find photos of old New York not shown in our current site.