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Written by The Print and Photograph Department of the
Library Company of Philadelphia

Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the
Print and Photograph Department’s acquisition fund.

(Arcadia Publishing, Fall 2006)

128 pp., illustrated (bw), soft cover

Using the Library Company’s rich photographic holdings, this book contains 195 photographs illustrating the buildings, people, and activities of 19th-century Center City Philadelphia. The book’s ten thematic chapters include Religious Institutions, Money and Trade, Urban Transit, Business and Industry, and Cultural Institutions.

Details:

Philadelphia, as laid out in the 1680s, extended from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River and from Vine Street to South Street, an area known today as Center City. As its population grew, the settled areas expanded westward from the Delaware River beyond early important landmarks such as Christ Church, the Pennsylvania State House, and Pennsylvania Hospital. By the mid-19th century, commercial, religious, and cultural institutions arose along Broad Street, and exclusive residential neighborhoods developed even farther west in areas previously undeveloped or used as industrial sites. Bustling shopping districts anchored by stores such as Wanamaker’s Grand Depot and Strawbridge and Clothier ran for blocks along Chestnut and Market Streets. Center City Philadelphia in the 19th Century highlights the buildings, people, and activities of this area from the 1840s until the end of the century.

Travel the streets of 19th-century Center City as documented by the photographers whose works are preserved in the rich collections of the Library Company of Philadelphia, a rare book and research library founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731. The authors of Center City Philadelphia in the 19th Century are staff members of the Library Company’s Print and Photograph Department.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, make history available to all.

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