Running across Market Street in 1922, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It's 1922 and you're running across Market Street at 4th in this imaginary journey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And before you get worried, relax, you're young, there isn't much traffic, and what traffic there is is moving very slowly by 21st-Century standards.


The view is looking west on Market at 4th Street, and as you can see, the photo is marked June 22nd, 1922. I really have no idea why you're running across the street, but looking at your apron, you're probably a vendor, and maybe you brought a carrot over to the horses. Or maybe you just ate at the Market Street Lunch Room.


By the way, in case you're wondering where I found this photo, it's at the Duke University site. They scan in photos like this so that people can study historic advertising, like the ads for Coca-Cola and Pillsbury.



Advertising is, and always has been big business, and whether the advertising agencies who placed these ads were in Minneapolis, Atlanta, or New York, they would need to see what the looked like, so a photographer would have been sent out to record it. In other words, this was just an ordinary, mundane photo taken for business purposes. To me, it's beautiful, not for the advertising, but for the feeling. It makes me wonder if people will look back on ordinary photos today in 100 years and marvel at them? Hard to imagine, but it will probably happen.


I have to admit that the most interesting thing to me in this photo is the vehicle at the far right. No doubt that at the time it was just an ordinary delivery vehicle that no one looked at twice, but if I saw it nowadays at a car show I would be dazzled. Looks like someone is taking a nap in this one!


I really can't get enough of looking at this view, and yes, that's city hall back there, which is still there. The street cars are electric, and from what I've read, you would just jump on them, and a conductor would be there to ask you for your nickel, or token. The traffic, of course, stays to the right, but if something gets in the way, like a horse cart, traffic just slows down and goes around it.


Thank you for visiting Philadelphia in 1922 with me!

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