Series I. Photographs
Scope and Contents note
Series I consists of 1,885 gelatin silver photographs measuring 8 x 10 inches or smaller, depicting a wide range of New York buildings, institutions, parks and squares, theaters, signs, and street scenes. Photographs are arranged alphabetically into the following subject-based subseries: Advertising; Aircraft and Aeronautics; Apartment Buildings; Banks and Financial Institutions; Browning, Irving; Chinatown; Churchs and Synagogues; Construction and Construction Workers; Depression, the Great; Eagles; Factories and Industry; Harbor and Waterfront Views; Hospitals; Hotels; Lower East Side; Monuments and Statues; Night Views; Occupations; Office Buildings; Parks and Squares; Photomontages; Police Stations; Portraits; Public Buildings and Institutions; Rain Views; Residences; Restaurants; Roofs and Roof Gardens; Ships, Boats and Ferries; Shoes; Shops and Shopping; Skylines and Cityscapes; Sports and Recreation; Streets and Avenues; Television and Radio; Theaters; Tourists; Transportation; Utilities; Winter Views; and Miscellaneous/Unidentified. This series contains architectural photographs taken for clients, such as construction progress photographs of art-deco theaters and skyscrapers, as well as more documentary photographs that portray with a touching grace the lives of New Yorkers during the Great Depression. Browning's photographs depict the city in an era that began with a prosperous postwar economy, struggled through the Depression, and ended in the second World War; they document both the glamorous and the destitute environments that existed simultaneously in the city during this era.
Most photographs have been briefly labeled and bear one or more of several Irving Browning studio stamps; some photographs also have "Browning" and a negative number printed into the photograph. It is unclear which of the photographs may have been taken by Sam Browning or other photographers in Browning's employ; all credits refer to "Irving Browning" or the "Studio of Irving Browning." The majority of the photographs bear no dates. Approximate dates for buildings in this finding aid were researched during processing and are generally related to dates of building construction as established by the American Institute of Architects in the AIA Guide to New York City, 4th edition (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000). Photographs in this collection bear only very brief descriptions on the verso or no description at all; descriptions listed in this finding aid were generally assigned or expanded by N-YHS staff and are not titles assigned by the Browning Studio.
Two boxes at the end of the collection contain duplicate vintage prints of photographs from Series I which are being held in reserve.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital copies are available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.
Advertising
Scope and Contents
The Advertising subseries primarily focuses on billboards and other large signs, many of which were taken around the Times Square area. Several of these advertising photographs also appear in Browning's photomontages.
A&P Coffee billboard, undated
Anheuser Bsuch, Inc., Budweiser billboard and clock in Times Square (3), undated
Barbershop poles, undated
Chevrolet billboard, undated
Camel Cigarettes billboard, undated
Chevrolet billboards (2), 1934, undated
Horses [Kauffman Saddles and Boots and unidentified], undated
Criterion Theatre movie billboard for Viva Villa, [1934]
Cocoanut Grove billboard [with mechanic fixing car], undated
Schenley Mayflower Whiskey billboard and clock (2), undated
Squibb Dental Cream billboard, with part of Coca-Cola billboard, undated
Sunkist billboard, with Child's (restauraunt) billboard (2), undated
Wrigley's Spearmint Gum billboard, undated
Aircraft and Aeronautics
Scope and Contents
Aircraft and Aeronautics includes mostly unidentified photographs of early aviators, airplanes, airships (blimps), and members of high society posing with aircraft at small airfields in the greater New York area. Included are portraits of several society women posing near airplanes; several of these were taken were at private aviation clubs such as the Aviation Country Club in on Long Island. Identified individuals pictured in this series include Beckwith Havens, Howard Hughes, Joe McLaughlin, Evelyn Seversky, and Mrs. Felix William Zelcer.
Aviation Country Club flags (Hicksville, NY), undated
Curtis-Wright Airport views (North Beach, NY) (9), undated
Havens, Beckwith aboard a seaplane, undated
Hughes, Howard with Seversky Amphibian, undated
McLaughlin, Joe posing in plane, undated
Seversky, Evelyn, undated
Whitney, Mrs. Paul Le Brogue, on Waco Cabin Plane, undated
Zelcer, Mrs. Felix William, at the Aviation Country Club, undated
Unidentified airship, airplane, seaplane, and airfield views (41), undated
Apartment Buildings
Scope and Contents
Apartment Buildings primarily contains views of newly constructed apartment buildings in a variety of neighborhoods in Manhattan and nearby suburban areas. The largest group of photographs depicts the interior and exterior of buildings in the Tudor City Apartments complex.
Baker Field Apartments, 520 West 218th St., undated
Brentanos Furnished Apartments, Broadway and 80th St., undated
Century Apartments, 25 Central Park West (2), [after 1931]
Cliffhaven Court, undated
Crystal Gardens, including aerial view (9), undated
London Terrace, West 23rd St. and Ninth Ave. (2), undated
General note
See also: Box 13, Folder 128
277 Park Avenue Apartments, undated
Pickwick Arms (Inwood) (7), undated
Scarswold Apartments (Scarsdale, NY), undated
Tudor City Apartments, interiors and exteriors (15), undated
Unidentified, interiors and exteriors (13), undated
Banks and Financial Institutions
Scope and Contents
Banks and Financial Institutions holds basic architectural views of Manhattan bank exteriors, including several prominent bronze clocks.
American Savings Bank, 115 West 42nd St., bronze clock, undated
Bank of Manhattan Trust Company, 295 Madison Ave., clocks (2), undated
Central Savings Bank, Union Square, undated
Continental Bank & Trust Company, undated
Guaranty Trust Company of New York, undated
Irving Trust Company, 1 Wall St. West 33rd St. (3), undated
Mutual Bank, West 33rd St., undated
New York Trust Company, 1 East 57th St. (3), undated
Trade Bank of New York, clock, undated
Browning, Irving
Scope and Contents
The Irving Browning subseries includes views of Irving Browning's office interior as well as promotional posters for his photographic services, one of which features a portrait of Irving Browning.
Office interiors and promotional posters (13), [1930], undated
Chinatown
Scope and Contents
Chinatown views show the streets of the Chinatown area in Lower Manhattan, including businesses and institutions such as the Rescue Society, the Old Chinese Theatre and the Nan Yang Association.
The Bowery, nos. 20-22 at Pell St. (2), undated
5-7 Doyers St., Rescue Society and Old Chinese Theatre (2), undated
Doyers St. at Chatham Square, undated
Pell St., no. 36 at Mott St., undated
Nan Yang Association, undated
Churches and Synagogues
Scope and Contents
Churches and Synagogues contains views of a variety of well-known Manhattan religious structures. Popular churches depicted including Riverside Church, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and the Church of the Transfiguration ("the Little Church Around the Corner") in Manhattan, as well as a large series of photographs of St. John's Lutheran Church in Englewood, New Jersey. Also included are a few synagogues: Ezrath Israel Synagogue and Inwood Hebrew Congregation, which was located not far from Irving Browning's longtime home in Upper Manhattan.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine, undated
Church of the Good Shepard (?), undated
Church of the Transfiguration [Little Church Around the Corner], undated
Community Church of the Pelhams (Pelham, NY), undated
Ezrath Israel Synagogue, undated
First Church of Christ Scientist (Maplewood, NJ), undated
Inwood Hebrew Congregation, undated
Riverside Church (6), undated
St. Bartholomew (3), undated
St. John's Lutheran Church, interior and exterior (Englewood, NJ), undated
St. Luke's Church (Forest Hills) (27), undated
St. Patrick's Cathedral (7), undated
St. Paul's Chapel, undated
Temple Emmanuel, undated
Trinity Church and churchyard, some with Wall St., undated
Unidentified, interiors and exteriors (14), undated
Construction and Construction Workers
Scope and Contents
Construction and Construction Workers includes views of workmen and construction sites. Most are entirely unidentified, but tend to focus on small details of construction or very specifically on the workers.
Construction and construction workers (40), [1920-1935]
Depression, the Great
Scope and Contents
Depression, the Great, includes a variety of photographs focusing on the troubling economic and social consequences of the Great Depression. Photographs depict the homeless, desperate men and women lined up to look at job boards or to enter employment agencies, shantytowns or "Hoovervilles" constructed by the homeless, and a jobless man in a business suit selling apples in the street.
Great Depression views (14), [1929-1939]
General note
See also: Occupations
Eagles
Scope and Contents
Eagles consists of a few photographs of unidentified eagle sculptures, artworks and illustrations.
Eagles [sculptures and illustrations] (4), undated
Factories and Industry
Scope and Contents
Factories and Industry consists of photographs of unidentified factory workers, machinery, and equipment. Most photographs are not specifically identified. A number of views of factory smokestacks are included in this subseries.
Workers and equipment (44), undated
Smokestacks (20), undated
Harbor and Waterfront Views
Scope and Contents
Harbor and Waterfront Views depict the waters around Manhattan, often with the buildings of various shorelines or bridges on the horizon.
Harbor and waterfront views (30), undated
Hospitals
Scope and Contents
Hospitals consists of a few views of Bellevue and Lenox Hill hospitals and a larger series of views of New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.
Bellevue Hospital, undated
Lenox Hill Hospital, undated
New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center (11), undated
Hotels
Scope and Contents
Hotels includes views of many classic historic New York sites including the Hotel Pennsylvania, and the Plaza, Ritz-Carlton, and Waldorf-Astoria Hotels, among others. Some views of grand interiors are available in this subseries. Views of Cooks Falls Lodge in Roscoe, New York, and the Grand View Lodge in Greenwich, Connecticut are also included.
Arrowhead Inn, interiors and exteriors (Riverdale) (7), undated
Hotel Astor, Broadway at 44th St., interiors and exteriors (4), undated
Barbazon Hotel, 140 East 63rd St., undated
Hotel Claridge, Broadway and 44th St., undated
Cooks Falls Lodge (Roscoe, NY), undated
Grand View Lodge, interiors and exteriors (Greenwich, CT) (9), undated
Hotel Martinique, 53 West 33nd St., undated
Hotel McAlpin, 50 West 34th St., undated
Murray Hill Hotel, Park Ave. and 40th St., undated
Hotel Navarre, Seventh Ave. and W. 38th St. (2), undated
Hotel Netherland, Fifth Ave. and 59th St., 1924
Park Chambers Hotel, 68 West 58th St., undated
Hotel Pennsylvania, 401 Seventh Ave., undated
Plaza Hotel, 768 Fifth Ave. (3), undated
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, East 46th St. (2), undated
St. Moritz Hotel, 50 Central Park South, interiors, undated
Savoy Plaza Hotel, with Sherry-Netherland Hotel, Fifth Ave. at 59th St. (6), undated
Shelton Towers Hotel, 525 Lexington Ave. (2), undated
Hotel Sulgrave, 60 East 67th St., interiors and exteriors (16), undated
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, 301 Park Ave., interiors and exteriors (16), undated
Unidentified, interiors (6), undated
Lower East Side
Scope and Contents
Lower East Side photographs consist of quintessential neighborhood views frin this period. Included are crowds in the street markets, street views with a variety of clothing stores, children in the street, and tenement buildings with clothes hung on lines to dry.
The Bowery, undated
Chrystie St., undated
Clinton St., nos. 40-42 (2), undated
Orchard St., from Rivington St., undated
Suffolk St., with street stock exchange, undated
Miscellaneous, including tenement exteriors and clotheslines (10), undated
Monuments and Statues
Scope and Contents
Monuments and Statues consists of photographs of the Civic Virtue, seen from the entrance to City Hall, (it was relocated to Queens Borough Hall in 1941 and to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn in 2012); the Washington Irving monument in Bryant Park which was relocated to East 17th Street in 1935, and the Statue of Liberty, as well as a few unidentified statues.
See also: Parks and Squares for views including monuments.
Civic Virtue monument, view from entrance to City Hall, undated
General note
[relocated to Queens Borough Hall in 1941, and to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn in 2012]
Washington Irving, Bryant Park, [1920-1935]
General note
[relocated to East 17th Street in 1935]
Statue of Liberty, undated
Unidentified (2), undated
Night Views
Scope and Contents
Night Views consists of a variety of photographs taken at night around the city, showing off such sites as the New York Public Library, the Empire State Building, the lighted signs of Times Square and elsewhere, and a variety of street and skyline views that capture the lights of urban nighttime.
Advertising, lighted signs [including Times Square area] (10), undated
Christmas trees, lighted (3), undated
Empire State building (6), undated
New York Public Library (2), undated
Skyline views (21), undated
Street scenes (4), undated
Occupations
Scope and Contents
Occupations includes informal portraits of unidentified people engaging in their work. Many of the occupations represented are at the lower end of the economic scale, and are obviously people suffering from the affects of the Depression. Included are shoe shiners, newspaper vendors and carriers, a street cleaner and a variety of peddlers. Also included is one unidentified violinist.
Baker, undated
Butcher, undated
Florists (Ninth Ave. street flower market, undated
Newspaper vendors and carriers (7), undated
Organ grinder, undated
Painter, undated
Peddlers (49), undated
Porters (4), undated
Sandwich board advertiser, undated
Shoe shiners (4), undated
Street cleaner, undated
Valet, undated
Violinist, undated
Office Buildings
Scope and Contents
Office Buildings is the largest subseries, and includes much of Browning's commissioned work. Most photographs show off newly constructed buildings, and some include construction progress photographs, with the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the Daily News Building, the Cities Services Building, the New York Life Insurance Building, and Salmon Tower particularly well represented. This subseries includes photographs of the work of a great variety of architects of the period including William Van Alen, Raymond Hood, Joseph Urban, and George B. Post & Sons, among others.
137 East 57th St. (14), undated
1400 Broadway, clock, undated
1450 Broadway, entrance and clock, undated
Chanin Building, 122 East 42nd St., undated
Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Ave., including construction views (22), undated
Cities Service Building, 70 Pine St., including construction (30), undated
Daily News Building, 220 East 42nd St. (13), undated
Downtown Athletic Club, 19 West St. (4), undated
Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Ave. -- Construction (17), [1929-1931]
Empire State Building -- Exteriors (27), undated
Empire State Building -- Interiors (21), undated
Empire State Building -- Photomontages (4), undated
Empire State Buiding -- Views on and from Observation Deck (6), undated
Flatiron Building [Fuller Building], 175 Fifth Ave. (2), undated
General note
See also: Box 10, Folder 93
Fuller Building, 41 East 57th St. (3), undated
Goelet Building, 608 Fifth Ave. (3), undated
Hearst Magazine Building, 951-959 Eighth Ave., undated
Linden Building, East 42nd St., interiors (8), undated
Maritime Exchange Building, 80 Broad St. (4), [1930-1932]
McGraw-Hill Building, 330 West 42nd St. (4), undated
New York Life Insurance Building, 51 Madison Ave., some with Madison Square, interiors and exteriors (43), [1929]
New York Telephone Company, 140 West St., undated
2 Park Ave., undated
Rockefeller Center buildings; most are construction scenes, undated
Salmon Tower, 500 Fifth Ave., including construction (14), [1930-1931]
St. Paul Building, undated
Schwarzenbach-Huber Building, 468 Fourth Ave. (2), undated
Silver House (4), undated
Squibb Building, 745 Fifth Ave., interiors and exteriors (9), undated
Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601-625 West 26th St., includes construction, undated
24 West St., undated
Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway, undated
Parks and Squares
Scope and Contents
Parks and Squares consists of a variety of views of a variety of public spaces, with Central Park, including Grand Army Plaza and Columbus Circle being represented by the most photographs. Bryant Park, situated adjacent to the New York Public Library is also well documented; included are views of the 1932 replica of Federal Hall under construction in the park.
Battery Park (3), undated
Bowling Green (3), undated
Bryant Park, many including the New York Public Library and replica of Federal Hall under construction (13), 1932, undated
Central Park, with Grand Army Plaza and Columbus Circle, 1925, undated
Gramercy Park, undated
Madison Square Park, many include Flatiron Building (9), undated
Riverside Park, undated
Union Square (2), undated
Washington Square Park and Washington Arch (6), undated
Photomontages
Scope and Contents
Photomontages contains the busy compilations Browning developed primarily for his print advertising clients. Most incorporate many images on a particular theme, such as shop windows, transportation, clocks, restaurants, grand buildings, or industry. Many images included in the photomontages can be found as individual prints elsewhere in the collection.
Buildings (21), undated
Business and advertising (14), undated
Industry and equipment (15), undated
Sports and recreation (9), undated
Miscellaneous (25), undated
Police Stations
Scope and Contents
Police Stations includes both interior and exterior views of suburban police stations in East Rockaway, Lindenhurst, and Valley Stream, New York. Included are views of jail cells, offices and police vehicles.
East Rockaway Police Station, interiors and exteriors (9), undated
Lindenhurst (NY) Police Station, interiors and exteriors (6), undated
Valley Stream (NY) Police Station, interiors and exteriors (7), undated
Portraits
Scope and Contents
Portraits includes a Time magazine cover bearing a portrait of New York Governor Herbert H. Lehman by Irving Browning, a group of portraits of renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead, and many unidentified portraits.
Lehman, Herbert H. (1878-1963), Time magazine cover portrait by Irving Browning, Vol. XXIV, No. 27, 1934 Dec. 31
Mead, Margaret (1901-1978) (6), undated
Unidentified, undated
Public Buildings and Institutions
Scope and Contents
Public Buildings and Institutions includes a variety of major recognizable Manhattan institutions and government buildings such as the Municipal Building, City Hall, the New York Public Library, and the American Museum of Natural History.
American Museum of Natural History (2), undated
City Hall, undated
Columbia University, Low Library (2), undated
Federal Hall (2), undated
Metropolitan Museum of Art, undated
Municipal Building, undated
New York Public Library, includes aerial view (10), undated
General note
See also: Night Views
New York State Supreme Court Building (2), undated
U.S. Post Office [roof only, seen from St. Paul's Chapel], undated
Rain Views
Scope and Contents
Rain Views include a variety of locations seen during rain storms or clouds, especially St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Empire State Building through fog, and 42nd Street.
42nd St. (3), undated
Broadway, undated
Empire State Building in fog (2), undated
Herald Square, undated
St. Patrick's Cathedral (2), undated
Unidentified street scenes (4), undated
Residences
Scope and Contents
Residences include interiors and exteriors of mostly unidentified residences, especially in the suburbs of New York City. Identified residences include the interior of Fanny Brices's home, the residence of movie mogul Marcus Loew in Glen Cove ("Pembroke"), and houses in the Arbor Close and Forest Close developments in Queens.
Arbor Close and Forest Close Developments, Forest Hills, Queens, interiors and exteriors (9), undated
Brice, Fanny, residence, West 76th St., interiors (21), undated
Fieldston, Bronx, residences, unidentified (3), undated
Loew, Marcus residence, "Pembroke," Glen Cove, NY, interiors, undated
New Jersey residences, unidentified (Teaneck and Palisades) (4), undated
Pelham, NY, residences, unidentified, interior and exterior (4), undated
Roscoe, NY residence, unidentified (3), undated
Scarsdale, NY, residences, unidentified, interiors (3), undated
Unidentified exteriors (6), undated
Unidentified interiors (24), undated
Restaurants
Scope and Contents
Restaurants includes many lunch counters and inexpensive chain restaurants, such as Foltis Fischer and Wil-low Restaurant. A photograph of Blake's Doughnut Parlor in Bryant Park features hand-painted Depression-related signs in the window.
Astor Hotel Restaurant, interior, undated
Blake's Doughnut Parlor, Bryant Park [hand-painted Depression-related signs in window], undated
Chatham Walk, East 48th St. (9), undated
Foltis Fischer, 200 East 42nd St., [with Elevated Railroad](3), undated
Madeira House, 94 Park Ave., undated
Prospect House (Tudor City) Dining Room, interiors, East 42nd St. and First Ave. (3), undated
Rainbow Room, Rockefeller Center, interiors (7), undated
St. Regis Restaurant, 1570 Broadway, undated
Wil-low Restaurant (2), undated
Roofs and Roof Gardens
Scope and Contents
Roofs and Roof Gardens includes views of rooftop patios and gardens as well as clothes hung to dry on apartment building roofs. A view of a man mowing the lawn on the roof of a Park Avenue penthouse, a series of photographs of an unidentified woman lounging with her dogs while being served drinks by a servant on the roof of a private residence, and photographs of residents enjoying the roof of the London Terrace (decorated to look like an ocean liner deck) allow a glimpse of the lifestyle of wealthier New Yorkers.
London Terrace Roof (10), undated
General note
See also: Box 1, Folder 6
Municipal Building [gathering in tent on roof], undated
Miscellaneous (24), undated
Ships, Boats and Ferries
Scope and Contents
Ships, Boats, and Ferries includes views of a variety of ferries, ferry terminals and ships in New York harbors and rivers. Well represented are Coney Island and Staten Island ferries, as well as the S.S. Leviathon. A few photographs depict a Chagres River ferry in Panama. Several photographs included in this subseries depict the Sailors' Snug Harbor home on Staten Island. Also included are a large number of mostly unidentified photographs depicting ships, boats, sailors, and shipping activity.
Ferries
Chagres River Ferry (Panama) (2), undated
Coney Island Ferries (12), 1928, [1930]
Dyckman Ferry, undated
Roscoe, New York Ferry Bell, undated
Staten Island Ferries (8), undated
Weehawken Ferries and Ferry Terminal, [1929], undated
Miscellaneous ferry views (7), undated
Named Ships and Boats
Aquatania, undated
Benjamin F. Packard (3), undated
Buccaneer, with the Success in foreground, undated
Dalzellea (tug boat, with other identified tugs), undated
S.S. Habana, undated
S.S. Leviathon (19), undated
London Corporation, with oil kegs on pier, undated
New Rochelle (tug boat), undated
Queen of Bermuda (2), 1933
Pan America (7), [1928-1929]
Sailors' Snug Harbor, Staten Island (5), 1929, undated
Ships and shipping - miscellaneous (64), 1928, undated
Shoes
Scope and Contents
Shoes is a small subseries focusing on shoes on display, the feet of those walking on the street, and one timely shot of a shoe that has just stepped in fresh, sticky chewing gum.
Shoes on display and stepping in gum (4), undated
General note
See also: Occupations - Shoe Shiners
Shops and Shopping
Scope and Contents
Shops and Shopping includes views of a variety of mostly clothing and department stores as well as a number of photographs of fashionable window shoppers peering at displays and their own reflections in the windows. The Stroheim & Romann and Weber and Heilbroner stores are particularly well represented.
Bagoe, 86 Madison Ave. (drug store), undated
Bedolls, 34th St. and Sixth Ave. (2), undated
Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave., undated
Bloomingdale's, undated
Broadstreet's, undated
Curtis Furniture, undated
Dennison's, 411 E. 32nd St. (2), undated
De Pinna, 650 Fifth Ave., undated
F.R. Tripler & Co., 366 Madison Ave., undated
Featherly, Inc., Gowns, 19 East 61st St., undated
Franklin Simon & Co., 414 Fifth Ave., undated
Freess & Co., undated
Gimbel Brothers, 1275 Broadway, undated
Joseph Hilton and Sons, Greeley Square, undated
Kayser (4), undated
Lebolt & Co., Jewelers, 534 Fifth Ave., undated
Macy's [R.H. Macy & Co.], 34th St. and Broadway (3), undated
Mary Scott Rowland (2), undated
Richard Hudnut, 695 Fifth Ave., undated
S. H. Kress & Co. (3), undated
Sisto's Pharmacy, Polymol advertising in window, undated
Stroheim & Romann, interiors and exteriors, 35 East 53rd Street and 515 Madison Ave. stores (13), undated
Walgreen Co., undated
Weber and Heilbroner, includes photomontages (18), undated
Winkelman Shoe, 21 West 42nd St. (5), undated
Window shoppers, miscellaneous (32), undated
Skylines and Cityscapes
Scope and Contents
Skylines and Cityscapes includes a variety of views of Manhattan from various vantage points, filed by Lower Manhattan skylines, Midtown Manhattan skylines, or skylines/rooftop views within Manhattan.
Lower Manhattan skylines (22), undated
Midtown Manhattan skylines (13), undated
Skylines, cityscapes, and rooftop views within Manhattan (31), undated
Sports and Recreation
Scope and Contents
Sports and Recreation consists of a people engaging in a variety of leisure time activities. Most activities depicted are past times of wealthy Manhattanites, such as polo, tennis, and golf. A large series of photographs focuses on a group of young, well-dressed, wealthy New Yorkers traveling on a cruise aboard the Queen of Bermuda. A few spectator scenes and swimming and diving or beach scenes depict participants across a broader economic spectrum.
Amusement Parks, Coney Island (9), undated
Baseball (3), undated
Fencing (2), undated
Fishing (3), undated
Football (4), undated
Golf (11), undated
Horseback riding (5), undated
Model airplanes (4), undated
Ocean travel, cruise aboard the Queen of Bermuda (26), [1932]
Polo (13), 1934, undated
Shuffleboard (6), [1932], undated
Skiing (2), undated
Spectators (9), undated
Swimming and diving [includes beach scenes] (21), undated
Tennis (4), 1932, undated
Track and field (2), undated
Streets and Avenues
Scope and Contents
Streets and Avenues consists of views of New York Streets in a variety of neighborhoods, from the signs and theaters of Broadway to shops along Fifth Avenue to the streets of Harlem. Streets and Avenue views are arranged into the follow subdivisions: Named Streets and Avenues, Numbered Avenues, and Numbered Streets; thereunder they are arranged alphabetically or numerically accordingly.
Named Streets and Avenues
Beaver and New Sts., undated
Broadway and Wall Sts., including New York Stock Exchange, undated
Broadway, from Bowling Green, undated
Broadway and Exchange Place, undated
Broadway and 31st St., undated
Broadway from 40th to 49th St. (13), undated
Broadway from 51st through 59th St. (2), undated
Broadway at 174th St., undated
Broadway, unidentified cross streets (5), undated
Central Park South (2), undated
Central Park West at 62nd St., undated
Chatham Square, undated
Forsyth St. near Grand St., undated
Lexington Ave. from 42nd through 45th St. (3), undated
Madison Ave. at 28th St., undated
Park Ave. from 20th through 59th St. (5), undated
Riverside Drive (2), 1925, undated
South St. (14), undated
Wall St. (4), [1926], undated
Washington Mews (4), 1924, undated
Washington Square North (3), undated
Numbered Avenues
Second Ave., with view of the Chrysler Building in distance, [after 1929], inclusive
Third Ave. at 43rd St., with view of elevated railroad, undated
Third Ave., brownstones, undated
Fourth Ave., 1930
Fifth Ave., 34th to 36th Sts. (4), undated
Fifth Ave., 40th to 49th Sts., including aerial views (19), undated
Fifth Ave., 57th to 60th Sts. (7), 1924, undated
Fifth Ave., unidentified, undated
Sixth Ave., 32nd through 46th Sts. and unidentified (9), undated
Eighth Ave. at 37th St., undated
Numbered Streets
14th St. at Union Square West (2), undated
23rd through 26th Sts. (7), undated
30th through 34th Sts. (12), undated
40th St. (2), [1922] undated
42nd St. (13), undated
43rd through 46th Sts. (4), undated
47th through 49th Sts. (12), undated
50th through 54th Sts. (17), undated
57th through 58th Sts. (12), undated
West 66th St., no 69, undated
East 73rd St., no. 301, undated
East 86th St., undated
East 96th St., undated
West 130th St., no. 101, undated
Unidentified street scenes (34), undated
Television and Radio
Scope and Contents
Television and Radio consists of photographs of microphones, equipment, studios and broadcasters from the early days of radio and television.
Microphones, NBC and unidentified, undated
Radio Broadcasting -- CBS Radio studio, equipment and operators (3), undated
Radio Broadcasting -- Crowd listening to election returns broadcast, undated
Radio Broadcasting -- Radio studio scene, male pianist and female singer (3), undated
Radio Broadcasting -- Radio photomontages (2), undated
Radio Broadcasting -- WHN Radio, female broadcaster with dog (2), undated
Television Broadcasting -- Control room and operator at CBS (2), undated
Television Broadcasting -- Phillips, Sandra, broadcasting at CBS (2), undated
Television Broadcasting -- Television cameras, undated
Theaters
Scope and Contents
Theaters includes a few grand Broadway theaters of the era, but focuses heavily on the great movie palaces of the late 1920s and the 1930s, such as the Earl Carroll and the RKO Roxy Theatre. A heavy focus on interiors, and especially art-deco design elements, is evident. Also included are some views of burlesque and less legitimate venues, such as the Salon des Arts. Several theaters in this subseries were heavily documented by Browning, probably working on commission; some construction progress views are included.
Ambassador Theatre, interiors (2), undated
Astor Theatre, marquee for Eskimo and New Moon, 1933
Avon Theatre, interior, detail of controls, undated
Beacon Theatre, interiors and exteriors, undated
Biltmore Theatre, interiors (2), undated
Brooklyn Paramount Theatre, interiors (5), undated
Carlton Theatre, interiors and exteriors (Brooklyn) (8), undated
Cameo Theatre, ticket booth and entrance, undated
Century Theatre and view of Central Park West at 61st St., [1925]
Criterion Theatre, actor Neil Hamilton and others in entrance, undated
undated
Earl Carroll Theatre, interiors and exteriors - including during construction (46), undated
Embassy Theatre, interiors (Port Chester, NY) (4), undated
Forrest Theatre, interiors (3), undated
George M. Cohan's Theatre, entrance, undated
Imperial Theatre, interiors (3), undated
Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, interiors (3), [1921-1930]
Loew's Coney Island Theatre, interior, undated
Loew's Grand (The Bronx), undated
Loew's Inwood, interiors (9), undated
Madison Square Garden, interiors and exteriors (1892 and 1925 buildings) (7), undated
Mansfield Thatre, interior, undated
Oasis Theatre, interiors (4), undated
Palace Theatre, entrance (2), undated
Paramount Theatre, Broadway at 44th St., interiors and exterior (6), 1926, undated
RKO Roxy Theatre, interiors and exteriors (65), undated
Republic Theatre (Burlesque), marquee (2), [1932]
Salon des Arts, undated
Sam H. Harris Theatre, interior, signs for The Singing Fool, [1929]
Thalia Theatre, Broadway and 95th St., interiors and exterior (7), undated
Theatre Guild, interior, undated
Trans-Lux Theatre, Broadway and 49th-50th St. (3), undated
Valencia Theatre, interiors and exteriors (Jamaica, Queens) (6), undated
Theater sign switchboxes (4), undated
Unidentified theatre interiors (5), undated
Tourists
Scope and Contents
Tourists consists of photographs of crowds looking through telescopes, gathered on the streets, and standing on viewing platforms.
Views of tourists (11), undated
Transportation
Scope and Contents
Transportation contains a variety of views of public transportation in the New York area, including buses, elevated railroads, railroad stations, street railroads, and subway station entrances. Especially notable are Browning's photographs of Grand Central Terminal and McKim, Mead & White's Pennsylvania Station.
Buses (4), undated
Elevated railroads (4), undated
Railroad stations -- Grand Central Terminal, interiors and exteriors (14), undated
Railroad Stations -- Morrisania Station (Bronx) (3), undated
Railroad stations -- Pennsylvania Station, interiors and exteriors (6), undated
Street railroads (streetcars) (4), undated
Subway station entrances (4), 1933
Utilities
Scope and Contents
Utilities consists of photographs of power lines, power plants, electric transformers, ash shoots, and gas tanks. Included are Consolidated Edison facilities, but most of the photographs in this series do not bear specific descriptions.
Utilities (20), undated
Winter Views
Scope and Contents
Winter Views depict a snow-covered Central Park framed by the towers of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South and West. They are mostly quiet, unpopulated landscapes; the few people in view are a man and child holding hands as they walk down a snowy path, a group of men gazing at the scenery from a horse-drawn carriage, and distant figures walking along a white-on-white horizon. Also included are a few night views that contrast the gleaming snow against a darkened sky.
Central Park (23), undated
Times Square, Broadway (6), 1922, [1929-1930]
Unidentified (8), undated
Miscellaneous and Unidentified
Scope and Contents
Miscellaneous and Unidentified Views includes a traffic light, unidentified gravestones, unidentified landscapes and buildings, a man exhaling smoke profiled in a doorway, and some unidentified architectural details.