On March 6, 1951, the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg began. Both the alleged spies (who were executed for their crimes in 1953), were born on the Lower East Side when it looked a lot like today's postcard. Ethel was born in 1915 and Julius in 1918. This card, simply labelled "The Ghetto, New York," was probably published around 1910.
In the foreground, there's a street sign marking Rivington Street, but the cross street in this image remains a mystery. We've looked at the extant intersections along Rivington and none match this postcard close enough. Of course, that's not surprising--between public parks, housing projects, and new development, the Lower East Side of a century ago has been substantially altered. However, if you have a guess as to what intersection this is, please let us know in the comments.
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Read more about the Lower East Side, including the pioneering work of
Jacob Riis and Lillian Wald
in our new book
Jacob Riis and Lillian Wald
in our new book
Footprints in New York comes out April 15, 2014, but you can pre-order today from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many more.
And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.
And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.
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