1870s SV of UNSAVORY CHARACTERS at THE TOMBS in NEW YORK CITY Manhattan NYC For Sale

Stereoview photograph of men standing in front of theTombs in New York City, circa 1870s. No photographer or publisher identified(perhaps by E & H.T. Anthony & Co.). The view, from the series SteroescopicGems, New York & Vicinity, and entitled simply New York Tombs, shows aboutsixteen unsavory looking characters standing on the sidewalk and on the stepsof an Egyptian Revival style building. This is the New York Halls of Justiceand House of Detention, nicknamed the Tombs. This prison was plagued bycorruption and scandals, and Charles Dickens, who visited it 1842, wrote abouthow filthy and disgusting it was even at that early date. The stereoview is inonly fair condition with light wear and soiling. There’s a vertical crease inthe mount, affecting the right photograph. The photographs exhibit good tonalrange and show good or better detail. A nice early image of the Tombs inManhattan!