When Cities Were New

Early 1840s image of NYC at Sotheby's....yep, NYC

While searching through early representations of towns and cities on 17th and 18th century fire boards and overmantels, we ran into some remarkable daguerreotypes of US cities. From the East to the West, they give us a glimpse into how vast these cities had become in the 1840s and 50s and how quickly photography evolved.

The Niagara in East Boston, circa 1855 via Warren's Stuff

San Francisco Harbor, circa 1850, via Daughter of the Golden West

Philadelphia by Robert Cornelius, circa 1840, via Explore PA History

Richmond, VA from Church Hill, circa 1855, via The Valentine Richmond History Center

Cincinnati, OH, circa 1848, via The Historical Society

St Anthony Falls (now Minneapolis), Minnesota, circa 1850s, via Minnesota Historical Society