Photographs of New York Interiors at the Turn of the Century (Dover Architecture) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

This is a large paperback book filled with over 130 photographs (all in black and white) taken by JOSEPH BYRON (aka: "Lord Byron") during the Gilded Age.
The book is well-bound and each page is smooth and heavy.

In the back of the book, the author explains each photo (ie: PLATE). This is very helpful to the reader, as I will explain further in my last few paragraphs.

Anyhow, in the book's Introduction, the author explains a brief background of the Gilded Age, and then goes on to categorize the homes, owners, and also the public institutions, into specific categories. This Introductory chapter is important because it places the photos in their correct perspective.

Also in the Introduction, the author shows photos of some (though not all) of the homes as seen on the OUTSIDE, during the time that the book's INDOOR photos were actually taken. This too, is quite important because most of the homes & institutions photographed in this book are no longer in existence (since the photographed structures have, sadly, been demolished in order to make room for "modern" N.Y. buildings).

In addition, in the Introduction, the author explains the reason why some of the photos were taken and why some of the owners allowed these photos to be taken.

To go further.... I especially liked the photos of the bathrooms and kitchens, since "Joseph/Lord Byron" photographed a variety of these personal home spaces within years of each other, and thus showing the changes in decour from one home to the next.

JOSEPH BYRON's photos are absolutely amazing, especially when we think that these HUGE photos were taken over 100 years ago, and that he used an unusually large tri-pod camera and a special "light flash".

Basically, "Joseph/Lord Byron" positioned his camera and flash in a special way to capture the best angles of the interiors. As the author stated in the Preface, the woods used in most homes of the Gilded Age were the darker stained woods (eg: dark cherry, dark mohogany, rosewood, darkly stained oak & walnut & pecan woods). Therefore , the photos of the wealthier homes looks all as though they were decorated by the same person. Of course that is not the case, but the similarities in the wealthy homes` "styles" occurred because these darker woods were what the people found to be attractive & were very much a la mode. To top things off, the homes were decorated with intricate tapestries and dark rugs, and also very heavy draperies in darker burgundy colors, & dark browns and deep greens, so in totality, the homes do somehow all look quite dark .

It is also so much fun to look at all the "bric-a-bracs", furniture, Art pieces, and architectural details that were so popular a century ago.
Sometimes the author of this book would show the contrasts of two of Lord Byron's photos, in order to make this book even more fascinating. For example, the photo of the very poor tenament family that was shown in their ONE ROOM apartment, is right below the photo of a lavish home that probably contained over 23 bedrooms alone! The contrast is amazing, and sad at the same time. However, the author wanted to prove 2 points by showing these contrasts: 1) that Lord Byron photographed not only the wealthy citizens, but also the average people that lived in New York a century ago; and 2) the author also wanted to show the flexibility of Lord Byron's skill when he took his famous photographs.

The latter quarter part of this book shows photos of the interiors of some public institutions from 100 years ago. These photos are also absolutely amazing! Joseph/Lord Byron took most of these public photos with people in them so the reader can see what people actually looked like back then!! Just to look at the clothes and hairstyles that people wore can intrigue the reader for hours.

Example: Some of these public photos show men getting their hair cut in a Barber Shop. Or another photo shows some "single" ladies eating lunch at a TEA HOUSE. Another photo shows the hall to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel during a luxury auto show. Another photo shows two nurses walking down the stairs of the Vanderbilt wing of a hospital. Other photos show wealthy "Gentlemen's Halls", complete with spittons,railbars,mirrored saloon walls, etc., and in contrast Lord Byron would also photograph a more common saloon where the average citizen might attend.

There are so many photographs to describe, but space will just not allow.

Fascinating book. The photos take you back to a time when wealthy meant ostentatious. "Less is more" never seems to have occured to the upper class of the day. I found the pictures of department stores, restaurants etc even more interesting. Of the scenes which include people you'll notice that only the "working" class and the slum dwellers manage a smile. Go figure.

If you want to know what Victorian interiors really looked like at the turn of the century, this is the best source. For example, gas lights in kitchens were industrial and simple; those in parlors and bedrooms were ornate and florid. Linoleum, wood, and encaustic tile were all possibilities for kitchen floors. Helps put other more extraordinary Victorian examples such as the Linely Sambourne house and objects in "Creating the Artful Home" in context.