Mammoth Silver Gelatin Photograph of the Fulton Street Ferry Dock on South Street, Lower Manhattan

New York: Geo. P. Hall and Sons, 1900. Mammoth silver print measuring 16 ¼ x 13 ½ in. (sight), matted to 24 x 20 ¼ inches. Very Good. A scarce view of the South Street docks in lower Manhattan c. 1900, showing the Fulton Street Ferry. The Fulton Street Ferry connected Manhattan's Fulton Street to Brooklyn's Fulton Street, and in the era preceding the Brooklyn bridge was an important means of travel between the boroughs. Steam travel began in 1814 when Robert Fulton, with the help of Hezekiah Pierrepont, obtained a lease from the city. The steamship Nassau was the first boat used by the company. The ferry was influential in the growth of Brooklyn Heights as suburb.

The George P. Hall and Sons company was active from 1886-1914. The bulk of their work was views of New York City. Though examples are prolific, we find no record of this image in the NYHS archive or elsewhere. The photograph shows subjects posed outside the terminal. A very good minus example with some toning and light discoloration at upper edge. Staining to cardstock at mount at margins not affecting image.