These Iconic New York City Photos Are Now All Yours
The New York Public Library has released thousands of maps, illustrations—and these amazing Berenice Abbott images of the city in the 1930s—to the public domain.

Berenice Abbott/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library

Get ready to get lost for a few hours. The New York Public Library has made available nearly 200,000 maps, illustrations, archival documents, and images from its vast collection that have lost copyright protection or otherwise are now part of the public domain. Among this treasure trove are thousands of shots taken by iconic photographer Berenice Abbott of New York City in the 1930s. All of the images are downloadable (and free!). Here’s a look at some notable images in the gallery.
Building a skyscraper, placing steel beams, at the Metropolitan Tower
Keystone View CompanyThe Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection /The New York Public Library

Blossom Restaurant, at 103 Bowery in Manhattan
Berenice Abbott/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library

33rd Street and Fourth Avenue
Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection/The New York Public Library

The Flatiron Building, Fifth Avenue and Broadway
Keystone View Company/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library

West Side Highway and Piers 95, 96, 97, and 98, viewed from West 54th Street
Berenice Abbott/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library

Street peddler on the Lower East Side
Art and Picture Collection/The New York Public Library

Brooklyn Bridge, as seen from Dumbo
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection /The New York Public Library,The Research Libraries, New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation.

A candy sorter in the old Huyler factory
Lewis Wickes Hine/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library

Bellevue Hospital, at 1st Avenue between 26th and 29th streets
Ewing Galloway, Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History/The New York Public Library

A general view of Central Park
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection /The New York Public Library,The Research Libraries, New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation.

Cop carrying dog
Weegee/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library

Bryant Park
Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection/The New York Public Library

Broadway and 62nd Street
Science, Industry and Business Library: General Collection/The New York Public Library

The Statue of Liberty, on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor
Keystone View Company/The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection/The New York Public Library
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