Panoramic view of Manhattan by Joshua Beal, 1876

Beal's view of New York City was shot in January 1876, after the photographer wrestled his heavy camera equipment, glass plate negatives, and tripod up the tower's thirty flights of stairs. He exposed five negatives to create a composite photograph. The resulting image provided a sweeping panorama of lower Manhattan's landmarks, including Trinity Church and the nine-story headquarters of the New York Tribune, in addition to commercial activity along the East River. Dominating the scene is the massive New York Tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, which was completed in 1883. Commercial signage along the sides of buildings may be seen, including "Harper's," "American Rubber Maint.," "Abel Bros. Iron," "Judd Storage," "Van Dyke's Hotel," "United States Bonded Warehouse," "Ferry from Roosevelt SINY," as well as Beal's enhanced handwritten caption information, "Clyde's Line from Phila."

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1876

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