The Skyscrapers of New York
The camera is on a boat traveling from Pier 14 toward Battery Park. The North River (now the Hudson), busy with tugs, is in the foreground. The piers, some with liners, some with freight boats, are in the middle, and the city's skyline is in the background. At first, the skyline is mostly spires and a few buildings of six or seven stories. By Pier 5, the skyline is much fuller, with buildings looking to be as high as 20 stories. Past New Pier 1 (United Fruit Company), the skyline begins to clear; then the park comes into view.
From the archive
This is a compilation of three prints from the Paper Print collection of the Library of Congress produced by American Mutoscpe and Biograph in 1906. I have added music and sharpened the title. The story is inconsequential but the scenes of the workers on the high beams are fascinating in those days before special effects, there is even a fight, and remember the cameraman and a bulky camera had to be there too. Enjoy the lovely Victorian gesture of the little girl at the end as she points to the culprit. Enjoy.
Why this is free to watch
The Skyscrapers of New York (1898) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. No signup, no payment and no advertising interrupts playback. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
Player shortcuts
- Space Play / pause
- ← → Skip 10s
- ↑ ↓ Volume
- M Mute
- F Fullscreen
- 0–9 Jump to %
