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90 minutes of film, showing life in New York City, from 1898 to 1906.
These 48 film segments represent the earliest period of film production in the United States. This collection features "actuality" films, which capture everyday life scenes. This group of motion pictures highlights the growing metropolis of New York City at the dawn of the twentieth century. Some of the footage was shot by pioneering cameraman Edwin S. Porter, creator of the "Great Train Robbery." Other footage was shot by Billy Bitzer, famous for his camera work with D. W. Griffith.
Some of the subjects include: Scenes at the Immigration Depot and a nearby dock on Ellis Island. The excavation of the site for the new Macy Building, at the corner of Broadway and 34th Street. The first annual automobile parade, held on November 4, 1899 in downtown Manhattan. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show parading down Fifth Avenue, featuring Buffalo Bill, cowboys, Indians, and soldiers in the uniform of the United States Cavalry on horseback and riding horse-drawn coaches. A film shot seven months after the subway opened, following a train traveling from 14th Street, Union Square Station, to the old Grand Central Station. The funeral procession of Hiram Cronk, the last living veteran of the War of 1812, who died at the age of 105. New York City Sanitation Department dumping wharves in New York Harbor in operation. A 1899 parade of the New York Police Department, including Chief Devery, the Bicycle Squad, mounted horses, and regimental marching bands. The 1903 opening of the Williamsburg Bridge, featuring Mayor Seth Low. Excavation of the construction site for the Pennsylvania Station. A view of the 12-year old Statue of Liberty.
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