The Rabbit Hole

Research branch · image type first

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Two related datasets, not one pile. Bird’s-eye lithographs stay drawings. Old World photography stays photography. Label the image type before anything else — so an 1870 American print is never compared as if it were a lens.

Then the same method on the built world: what was there, what happened, what came afterward. Present status is recorded beside the plate. Chronology talks. The image is not asked to prove a thesis.

Camera first

World’s Fairs

Official plates and archive links. Not a verdict.

Same screen, labeled types

Compare city overviews: 1870 ± 10 years

Chicago, St. Louis, New York, Paris, London, Vienna, Berlin, Rome, St. Petersburg. Original images. Dates. Source institutions. Image type on every plate.

Open the 1870 window

The built world

What was there. What happened. What came afterward.

Bird’s-eyes as establishing shots. Photographs of named structures. Fires, earthquakes, demolition, and steel-frame construction as dated events. Gaps stay gaps.

Open the chronologies

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08 / 08

B.S. | Before Skyscrapers

What was already standing before the skyscraper skyline. Period photographs, about 1840–1900. Streets, plazas, and city views first. Named structures only where the plate actually shows them. No claim about why they were built.

All typesLithographElevated photoPanoramaAerialStreet photo
  1. Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, 1858. Francis Frith.. Elevated photograph.

    1858·Jerusalem

    Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

    Francis Frith.

    Elevated photograph · Altered

    An elevated photograph, not a drawn panorama. Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in 1858: olive ground in the foreground, the wall, the Dome of the Rock, the packed city, hills behind. A camera on the hill. Present status of the whole view: altered. The named monuments that are actually in the frame still stand.

    Open plate
  2. Old Bridge over the Moldau, 1860. Unidentified photographer. The caption names the subject, not the maker.. Elevated photograph.

    1860·Prague

    Old Bridge over the Moldau

    Unidentified photographer. The caption names the subject, not the maker.

    Elevated photograph · Surviving

    An elevated photograph of the stone bridge: arches, statue groups, the tower at the far end, the castle and cathedral on the hill. Caption on the plate: “PRAGUE. Old Bridge over the Moldau.” An albumen print. Not a lithograph and not a photochrom.

    Open plate
  3. Central Street, Chinese City, Peking, 1868–1870. Photographer not named on the Wellcome record.. Elevated photograph.

    1868–1870·Peking

    Central Street, Chinese City, Peking

    Photographer not named on the Wellcome record.

    Elevated photograph · Demolished

    An elevated photograph from the wall. A brick gate-pier at the left, a broad street, tiled roofs, a railed crossing, a tower far off. Wellcome’s caption calls the crossing Beggars’ Bridge and the street Central Street, between the Chinese and Tatar quarters. A camera, 1868–1870. Not a drawing.

    Open plate
  4. Rue de Rivoli and the Hôtel du Louvre, between 1860 and 1870. Hippolyte Jouvin. Published between 1860 and 1870. Commons describes the object as a stereograph; this scan is one elevated view, with no second frame on the file.. Elevated photograph.

    between 1860 and 1870·Paris

    Rue de Rivoli and the Hôtel du Louvre

    Hippolyte Jouvin. Published between 1860 and 1870. Commons describes the object as a stereograph; this scan is one elevated view, with no second frame on the file.

    Elevated photograph · Altered

    An elevated photograph looking along Rue de Rivoli: the arched colonnade, mansard roofs, the garden railing opposite, traffic of carriages. Jouvin, between 1860 and 1870. One view on this file. Not a drawn panorama of Paris, and not Marville’s demolition plates.

    Open plate
  5. The Bund, Shanghai, c. 1875. Lai Afong. Catalog date circa 1875. The file name says c. 1870.. Elevated photograph.

    c. 1875·Shanghai

    The Bund, Shanghai

    Lai Afong. Catalog date circa 1875. The file name says c. 1870.

    Elevated photograph · Replaced

    An elevated photograph of a waterfront: sampans, a creek and footbridges, a low line of buildings, a spire in the distance, a tiled roof in the foreground. Catalogued as Lai Afong, the Bund, Shanghai, circa 1875. Not the masonry bank skyline that came later, and not a drawing.

    Open plate
  6. Algiers from the Casbah, ca. 1880–1900. The print is lettered “ND. Phot.” — Neurdein — and numbered 211. No personal name beyond that mark.. Elevated photograph.

    ca. 1880–1900·Algiers

    Algiers from the Casbah

    The print is lettered “ND. Phot.” — Neurdein — and numbered 211. No personal name beyond that mark.

    Elevated photograph · Altered

    An elevated photograph from the Casbah, one frame, mounted on an album page. The print says “panorama”; it is not a joined strip. White roofs, a dome, the harbor, the mole, ships. Neurdein, number 211, about 1880–1900. Not a drawing.

    Open plate
  7. Central Rio from Morro do Castelo, ca. 1885–1895. Photographer not named. Not attributed here to Marc Ferrez. The record used does not name him.. Elevated photograph.

    ca. 1885–1895·Rio de Janeiro

    Central Rio from Morro do Castelo

    Photographer not named. Not attributed here to Marc Ferrez. The record used does not name him.

    Elevated photograph · Replaced

    An elevated photograph over tiled roofs toward the bay: a church with towers and a dome, masonry blocks, ships, mountains. Taken from Morro do Castelo, about 1885–1895. The photographer is unnamed. Not a lithograph, and not a claim that the hill is still there.

    Open plate

All plates

Year order. Type is the first column after the date.

  1. printed 1844OxfordHigh Street, OxfordStreet photograph
  2. 1858CairoStreet view in CairoStreet photograph
  3. 1857–58GizaThe Pyramids of El-Geezeh, from the south-westStreet photograph
  4. 1858JerusalemJerusalem from the Mount of OlivesElevated photograph
  5. c. 1860BostonWashington Street, BostonStreet photograph
  6. 1860PragueOld Bridge over the MoldauElevated photograph
  7. 1861St. PetersburgPanorama of Saint PetersburgBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  8. c. 1861WashingtonUnited States Capitol — the Walter dome risingStreet photograph
  9. c. 1860sLondonCrystal Palace, SydenhamStreet photograph
  10. 1863YokohamaYokohama from the hillPhotographic panorama
  11. 1864Annapolis, MarylandBird’s eye view of the city of Annapolis, Md.Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  12. ca. 1850–1880EdinburghPrinces Street and the Scott MonumentStreet photograph
  13. c. 1865LondonOn the rooftops of LondonElevated photograph
  14. c. 1865LondonLondon from the south side of the ThamesBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  15. c. 1865ParisPlace DauphineStreet photograph
  16. between 1860 and 1870ParisRue de Rivoli and the Hôtel du LouvreElevated photograph
  17. c. 1860sRomePanorama from the dome of St Peter’sElevated photograph
  18. 1860sAngkorAngkor WatStreet photograph
  19. 1861–1873San FranciscoLick House, Montgomery Street frontStreet photograph
  20. late 1860sBombayShaik Memon Street, BombayStreet photograph
  21. 1868Omaha, NebraskaBird’s eye view of the city of Omaha, NebraskaBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  22. 1868ParisAerial view of Paris — Place de l’ÉtoileTrue aerial photograph
  23. 1869Kansas City, MissouriBird’s eye view of Kansas City, Missouri. Jan’y. 1869Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  24. 1868–1870PekingCentral Street, Chinese City, PekingElevated photograph
  25. 1870BostonView of Boston, July 4th 1870Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  26. ca. 1870CalcuttaTown Hall, CalcuttaStreet photograph
  27. 1870DamascusThe street called StraightStreet photograph
  28. 1870Salt Lake City, UtahBird’s eye view of Salt Lake City, Utah TerritoryBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  29. c. 1870ViennaSt Stephen’s Cathedral, ViennaElevated photograph
  30. 1870ViennaStaatsbahnhof under construction, 13 March 1870Street photograph
  31. 1871Atlanta, GeorgiaBirds eye view of the city of Atlanta, the capitol of GeorgiaBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  32. 1871BerlinBerlin from a bird’s-eyeBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  33. 1871ChicagoBird’s-eye view of Chicago as it was before the great fireBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  34. 1871ChicagoChicago after the firePhotographic panorama
  35. 1872ChicagoThe City of Chicago as it was before the great conflagrationBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  36. 1872Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wis.Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  37. 1873New YorkNew York — Battery Park and the East RiverBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  38. 1870–77ViennaToward the center of Vienna from MariahilfStreet photograph
  39. 1874DenverDenver, Colorado, 1874Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  40. 1874St. LouisThe City of St. LouisBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  41. c. 1870sLondonLondon Bridge from the Southwark sideStreet photograph
  42. c. 1875ShanghaiThe Bund, ShanghaiElevated photograph
  43. 1876Louisville, KentuckyBird’s eye view of Louisville, KentuckyBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  44. 1876PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, 1876 — chromatic viewBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  45. c. 1877ParisAvenue de l’Opéra — demolitionStreet photograph
  46. c. 1878ParisAvenue de l’Opéra, toward Palais GarnierStreet photograph
  47. 1878San FranciscoThe City of San Francisco, from the bay looking south-westBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  48. 1878Seattle, WashingtonBird’s eye view of the city of Seattle, Puget Sound, Washington TerritoryBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  49. 1879Leadville, ColoradoBird’s eye view of Leadville, Lake County, Colo.Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  50. 1879MinneapolisPanoramic view of the city of MinneapolisBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  51. ca. 1880CologneCologne Cathedral, south side, towers scaffoldedStreet photograph
  52. 1883DuluthView of Duluth, Minn.Bird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  53. c. 1880–1900ConstantinopleHagia Sophia from the southStreet photograph
  54. c. 1880sMelbourneRoyal Exhibition BuildingStreet photograph
  55. 1888–1900MelbourneCollins Street, Grosvenor ChambersStreet photograph
  56. 1886–1892BerlinUnter den Linden, from west to eastStreet photograph
  57. 1889ParisParis from a balloon — Exposition UniverselleTrue aerial photograph
  58. ca. 1880–1900AlgiersAlgiers from the CasbahElevated photograph
  59. c. 1890Buenos AiresCasa RosadaStreet photograph
  60. c. 1880–1900ParisPalais GarnierStreet photograph
  61. ca. 1885–1895Rio de JaneiroCentral Rio from Morro do CasteloElevated photograph
  62. 1893ChicagoState Street, ChicagoStreet photograph
  63. 1893St. PaulSt. Paul, looking west from Dayton’s BluffBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  64. ca. 1890–1900MoscowRed SquareStreet photograph
  65. 1902New YorkFlatiron Building, Fifth Avenue and BroadwayStreet photograph
  66. 1902Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaBird's-eye illustration / lithograph
  67. c. 1903AgraThe Taj Mahal from the gardenStreet photograph
  68. c. 1900MoscowCathedral of Christ the SaviourStreet photograph
  69. c. 1904Mexico CityMetropolitan Cathedral, Mexico CityStreet photograph
  70. c. 1904PhiladelphiaCity Hall, PhiladelphiaStreet photograph
  71. c. 1905MelbourneMelbourne from the dome of the Exhibition BuildingElevated photograph
  72. 1906San FranciscoSan Francisco in ruins from a captive airshipTrue aerial photograph
  73. c. 1909New YorkSinger Tower from the North RiverElevated photograph
  74. 1912New YorkWoolworth Building — ironwork, 4 April 1912Street photograph
  75. c. 1913New YorkWoolworth BuildingStreet photograph
  76. c. 1913New YorkLooking down from the Woolworth towerElevated photograph