An imaginary visit to Manhattan in 1941

Let's go to Broadway and 47th Street in 1941 courtesy of our imaginations, and this image that I just found on the Duke University website. There's so much to see!


I have to admit that the first thing that caught my eye was the Ronald Reagan picture showing at the Warner Brothers Strand. I remember him as President, and I watched him on TV tell Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" (the Berlin Wall) in 1989, and I knew that he was very old at the time, but this really brings it home to me. It's interesting that they had a live orchestra - I've never been to a theater with an orchestra, but then I've never been to Manhattan.


I also noticed that there are no crosswalks. Apparently if you wanted to catch the Broadway trolley, you just walked out into the street, hoping that the cars wouldn't hit you. They probably did! By the way, although I don't want to dwell on this, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this photo was taken the month before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.


This empty space is a Hack Stand for taxicabs. You know, there's never a cab around when you want one! But that's OK, we're walking. Looks like the traffic light is either stop or go, no yellow. 


I wonder what that low wall is? Stairs to the subway? I have no idea. If you do, please let me know and I'll update this post. What's that? Update: Yes, those are stairs to the subway. The bumps on the top are to keep people from sitting on it. Special thank you to the Good Captain - see comment below. Cigars? No, not for me, but if you want to, go ahead, I understand that Havanas are the best. La Primadora!


I just love this ad for Coca-Cola. I wonder if this would fit in my garage? "The pause that refreshes" was the slogan at the time. Speaking of which, advertising is the reason that this photo was taken. It was simply photographic documentation that the ads were up and visible. They must have looked amazing at night!


The legibility of the ad for Camel cigarettes during daylight seems to be poor. I'm gonna zoom in and see if I can read it. I can read the script on the bottom, it says, "Costlier Tobaccos", but I'm not sure about the rest. Something about nerves?




So there's our visit to Manhattan in 1941. Here's a last look at the people for those of you who are interested in fashion. The men are all wearing fedoras, except for the man on the left. If I were walking around Manhattan in November, I know that I'd be wearing a hat, and a heavy coat! Women, of course, have always been tougher than men, because although they can wear a heavy coat, they their legs only had stockings on them.

Thank you for walking with me!

Images from the Duke University Library Digital Collections.
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Comments

  1. Cpt. CrankyAugust 16, 2021 at 8:54 PM

    Yes, that low wall is a subway entrance/exit. The little "bumps" on top of it is to keep people from sitting on it. I've actually never seen one of these that didn't have ads plastered around the top of it.

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