The fascinating collection of vintage photos shows how New Yorkers celebrated Christmas 100 years ago.
Photographs taken between 1900 & 1916 show everyday New York scenes during festive seasons.
These images capture Manhattan’s bustling streets and street vendors selling seasonal goods.
Other highlights include children eagerly window shopping and crowds gathered to observe outdoor Christmas trees in Madison Square Park.
The park is reputed to be the site of the United States’ first public Christmas tree lighting ceremony in December of 1912. The 30-foot-tall Norwegian Spruce is said to have attracted some 25,000 visitors over the holiday period, and the tradition has continued to this day.
A poignant photograph shows Americans packing Christmas presents for their country. Jason, which set sail from New York on October 14, 1914 to carry six million Christmas gifts for Europe’s children who had been affected by World War I.
An image of Christmas celebrations at New York’s Consolidated Stock Exchange, which is a rival to the New York Stock Exchange, can be seen elsewhere.
Photographs taken by George Bain Agency (one of America’s first news photo agencies), were used in the photographs. These photos are now at the Library of Congress.
Bain’s photographs were taken around the world and distributed through his news agency. However, he placed a particular emphasis on New York City. Most of the collection is from the early 1900s through the middle 1920s.
These fascinating photographs from the past show New Yorkers’ preparations for Christmas more than 100 years ago. Pictured: A crowd gathers in Madison Square Park where, in 1912, it is reported the United States’ first public Christmas tree lighting ceremony took place in December of 1912
These photos were taken in New York between 1900-1915. They show everyday life during Christmas. Pictured are boys wearing fashionable knickerbockers (at that time), shorts and caps as they look at Christmas toys, including photo boxes and cuddly animals in a store window in 1910.
Photo: Santa Claus and a young girl pose for a picture aboard the USS New York, circa 1915. Their battleship, the New York, was built shortly before this photo was taken. After having entered service one year earlier, the New York was deployed to the North Sea in support of the British Grand Fleet near the close of World War I.
This photo shows employees celebrating Christmas at New York’s Consolidated Stock Exchange. Ticker tape, which transmits stock price information, is seen littered on the floor below festive decorations. On the left side of the frame, a large brass band is playing. Consolidated Exchange competed with the New York Stock Exchange early in the 20th Century, but eventually stopped trading in 1926.
Since around 200 years ago, peddlers are a familiar sight in New York City’s streets. Although there are only 4,000 street traders licenses currently, it was more prevalent in the 19th- and early 20th centuries, when street trading was common among immigrants, where women and men would trade a wide range of goods. Pictured is a Christmas peddler and small birds circa 1900
This 30-foot-tall Norwegian Spruce in Madison Square Park, lit with innovative electric twinkling lights, is said to have attracted some 25,000 visitors over the December holiday period in 1912. This tradition continues to this day, with the addition of a Dome’s Tree Farm tree in Bliss (New York) to the park.
Over 100 years ago, Christmas shopping was a popular pastime in main streets. This is a view of Christmas shoppers looking at miniature houses and dolls in a window around 1900. It was already home to department stores for many decades. In 1825, Arnold Constable opened Pine St, America’s first departmental store.
This touching photograph features military personnel and women packing Christmas gifts for USS Jason. The cargo ship, which left New York on November 14, 1914 with 6 million presents for Europe’s children affected by World War I, set sail from New York. Later, the ship was converted to a bulk carrier commercial and scrapped in 1948.
The photo below shows New York City’s best handing out Christmas presents for children in need. This has been an annual tradition since around 1916. NYPD officers organized and donated over 100 years ago to an NYPD Christmas Tree Fund. This fund, formerly known as ‘Operation Sleigh Ride’ was used to deliver Christmas gifts to families in five boroughs.
Christmas postcards for sale, circa 1900
Pictured are Christmas peddlers selling dolls and other gifts, around 1900. In 1886, the first pushcart peddler appeared on Hester Street, Lower East Side. This was at the time that the Lower East Side was about undergo major change. More than 2.5 million Eastern European Jews were arriving in the United States.
These photos show the Christmas view on Fifth Avenue in New York City. This photograph was taken in 1910 from the New York Public Library steps looking north. Ford Model Ts were one of only mass-produced vehicles at that time, and many of these cars are Ford Model Ts.
The picture, titled “At Santa Claus Headquarters NY”, dates back to 1910 and shows young children handing their letters in to Santa Claus. Since the 1870s, reports have been made by post offices that they received specific letters addressed to Santa Claus.
Pictured: A Macy’s Christmas Shop window displays small children looking at toys, prams and bedrooms. It was around 1908. The children are looking into a window of the department store’s flagship building on Herald Square, which had opened on the site just six years before. It’s 1.25 million square feet of retail space still makes it the largest department store in the United States
A young boy looks at toys for Christmas, including bicycles and drums. This photo was taken in 1900. Many families, regardless of their wealth, were unable to buy presents for children. They had to survive on the family’s income. It was estimated that four families with low incomes spent on average 45 percent of their annual income for food in 1918.
Since shop owners had complained about street traders blocking their doorways, the city has been working for reforms over many years. Photographed circa 1910: Christmas toy vendor. S
Pictured: Christmas peddler on December 19, 1910. Many Americans considered pushcarts a bother and an eyesore. Americans believed that the “proper” way to shop meant going to stores with neat merchandise and clearly labeled prices. Pushcarts, however, were an insult to these rules.
Street vendor selling Christmas toys for boys 23rd Street, New York City 1908