lunch wagon

A few days ago I showed some images of Herald Square in 1908. In most of them, to one side of the New York Herald building, you can see a lunch wagon. Here's the wagon in a detail from one of the photos.

{Detail from a photograph called "Herald Square, New York, N.Y.," by the Detroit Publishing Co., from a glass negative, 10 x 8 in.; source: Library of Congress}

Here's a larger detail showing some context.


This is the full photo. It's the right half of two that were merged to make a post card.


You can tell by the clocks on the New York Herald building that it's early afternoon. Most of the buildings workers and many who are out and about will probably have already had their mid-day meal.


This is the post card. The lunch wagon is an insignificant detail in it.

Herald Square, ca. 1908, a Photochrom postcard by the Detroit Publishing Co.; source: NYPL Digital Gallery}

Herald Square lies at the junction of Broadway, 6th Avenue, and 34th St. (6th Ave. has since been renamed Avenue of the Americas). First as the home of popular theaters, then — in addition — as a major shopping center (anchored by Macy's, the largest department store in the world), it has long drawn hoards of New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors. The photos show that it's well served by public transportation, but, at least in the early 20th century, it was also nicely open and congenial to pedestrians. It was, further, quite photogenic, offering viewpoints for long, wide shots.

Given all this, it's not surprising that one can find many photographs of the intersection. What surprises me, however, is the number of these photos that show the lunch wagon parked on 6th Ave. on the east side of the Herald building.

You can see it in this other post card, taken about the same time as the first one I showed above.

{Photochrom postcard by the Detroit Publishing Co.; source: NYPL Digital Gallery}

And you can see it, as well, in this photo, taken more than a decade before when the Herald Building was still new and there was as yet no Times Building on distant 42nd St.

{Herald Square, N.Y. by J.S. Johnston; source: Library of Congress}

Here are some further photos showing the wagon.

1. Another from 1895.

{Junction of 6th Avenue & Broadway, N.Y. by A. Loeffler; source: Library of Congress}

2. One taken ca. 1901.

{Herald Square, New York, Detroit Publishing Co.; source: Library of Congress}

3. A detail from this photo.


4. One taken ca. 1903.

{Herald Square, New York City, Detroit Publishing Co.; source: Library of Congress}

5. A detail from this photo with the lunch wagon hardly visible.


6. A photo taken ca. 1904 with the Times Building under construction.

{ Herald Square, New York, Detroit Publishing Co.; source: Library of Congress}

7. A detail from this photo.


8. One taken ca. 1905 with the Times Building completed.

{Herald Square, New York City, Detroit Publishing Co.; source: Library of Congress}

9. A detail from this photo.


10. A composite photo taken ca. 1907. While the others images were scanned from glass-plate negatives, this one was scanned from a huge paper print (11.5 x 39.5 in.).

{Herald Square, New York, Geo. P. Hall & Son; source: Library of Congress}

11. Detail from this photo with the Lunch Wagon only seen as a shadowing blur.