Anatomy of a Photo: EAST 41ST STREET

 

A return to an evergreen subject, a close-up examination of a photograph. This one was made in 1927 and depicts East 41st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. 

The corner of 41st and 2nd is bisected by a girder that holds up the 2nd Avenue Elevated, and the corner building has two awnings with what looks like a baby carriage between them. Further up the street is a glass-fronted shop of some kind. 

There was a line of rowhouses up the hill, culminating in No. 333, the newly built Prospect Hill Apartments ‒ and its iconic fire escapes ‒ that still stands today. The signs on the rowhouses are illegible, but announce plans for Tudor City.

The eastern end of 41st Street seems to fade away, but in fact continues past First Avenue to the East River.

Finally, a building covered with writing has caught our eye, although what it says is anyone's guess.