Cities in the late 1800s, early 1900s
 

These are all the ones I have, feel free to post more from this era.

Boston
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9716/bostonhy3.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/1...ay1880shm7.jpg

Halifax
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/397/34103006zn0.jpg

Istanbul
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4...beyoglubx9.jpg

Montreal
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9210/00p26bum3.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/6724/00194005gd7.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9259/84105011bz5.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/650...eal1910tv7.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7912/v24048yr7.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6964/v3341jx5.jpg

Los Angeles

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1079/00013674kb2.jpg

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5290/00014304pf7.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6308/00014325xh9.jpg

Cincinnati

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9...ati1900nr1.jpg

Shanghai

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3...ai1920slu2.jpg

Chicago

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/2857/02973mlki2.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5894/12419olff8.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6894/754bg7.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9206/snow2qa5.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8049/chi1893oi6.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9...19098bely9.jpg

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/7...30153suzg2.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3026/old13xd6.jpg

Vancouver

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7...viaductds8.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3207/10902rv8.jpg

Sao Paulo

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/783...onstantxs9.jpg

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/380...bricolatv4.jpg

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/447...icordiaqv0.jpg

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/839/largosantahr1.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4...obadaropp9.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1443/quitandabk8.jpg

New York

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5615/042si5.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/852...lworkeryq5.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8164/church27le2.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/3...pgg36joyk2.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4592/img26019vw8.jpg

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/5...astsidelq4.jpg

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/845/nassau162qh1.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/7...yrokce4jr9.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8...ingviewgc5.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/6...hip2432br6.jpg

Toronto

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3...ongezy6tp7.jpg

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/8...ongezq1iv0.jpg

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/6...kingyo7tf4.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/6...dbaygk6ck9.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2...ongenu1ev4.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8...erl9vy8.th.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5...dbaywu9ca1.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6...amessr8bi8.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3...oon2ip4qk5.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4...noonyr9nh8.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4...ueenpw6ow5.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/5...ueenqw3zl2.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3...lomajr5vh2.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4...ueenlf9yw3.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/601...isitzp5ni7.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5...1930ri9de7.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1...0017zo0fv5.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4...1895vq4or6.jpg

cities now suck.

-

Philadelphia Aerials, late 1800s

http://robroy.dyndns.info/KAP-histor...iRes/p156a.jpg

http://robroy.dyndns.info/KAP-histor...iRes/p156b.jpg

http://robroy.dyndns.info/KAP-histor...iRes/p164a.jpg

These are amazing pictures, the Chicago ones in particular. I'd love to be able to go back in time and experience these cities in the old days before automobiles took over.

Whoa. This is outstanding. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I'm just amazed. Was there something going on here beyond simply a traffic jam? And are those building materials on some of those wagons?
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9...19098bely9.jpg

Wow, great finds! They don't build 'em like they used to. ;)

Wow... it's sad that many of our cities looked more urban then they they do now in areas...

ST. LOUIS, 1920's, the 6th largest city in America...

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23510825.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23510827.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23510863.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jivecity/image/23510864.jpg

holy fuck chicago

I posted some of these in a thread a couple of months back, but here they are. In the late 1800's on up until the onset of the Great Depression, Asheville was one of America's premier resort cities.

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1754.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1550.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1541.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1802.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1582.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids.../balln1354.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1606.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1496.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1234.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1632.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1630.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/Ball1059.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/Ball1054.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1597.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1804.jpg

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1229.jpg

And the piece de resistance (accent marks sold seperately), Asheville circa 1851.

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids...g/ball1822.jpg

Helsinki

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/03800/03807r.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/03800/03806r.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/03800/03808r.jpg

http://arvid.abo.fi/aabs/1974/54/1.jpg

http://arvid.abo.fi/aabs/1931/23/5.jpg

San Francisco, circa 1930

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2...tstreetau6.jpg

Great idea for a thread, but there's a notable lack of Ottawa. I'll sweeten the pot!

Sparks Street at Elgin, 1901:


East down Rideau Street, 1896:


York Street in the Market, 1911:


The old Chaudière District, late 1800s:

Moscow 1890-1910
 

Moscow 1895-1921
Photos by Vladimir Shukhov
http://www.shukhov.ru/eng/photo/albu...ruction_02.jpg
The construction of Kievskiy station, 1916

http://www.shukhov.ru/eng/photo/albu...porting_04.jpg
The Tsar Bell, 1895

http://www.shukhov.ru/eng/photo/albu..._n_port_04.jpg
Getting ready for a motor racing, 1908

http://www.shukhov.ru/eng/photo/albu...ndscape_03.jpg
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, 1900

http://www.shukhov.ru/eng/photo/albu...ruction_01.jpg
The construction of a Shukhov tower, 1921

I'm always amazed by NYC's full waterfront and inward looking urbanism.

Those were the days. Luckily, history repeats itself. Right?

If I could live in Milwaukee in any time period, it would've been from 1870-1930.
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...mi000162xl.jpg
http://www2.jsonline.com/desk/histwis/images/rowbig.jpg
http://www2.jsonline.com/desk/histwi...s/hotelbig.jpg
http://www2.jsonline.com/desk/histwi...es/lakebig.jpg
http://www2.jsonline.com/desk/histwi.../gimbelbig.jpg
Check out this amazing aerial of the valley from 1965, when Maitland Field was still operating and I94 starts to creep in on downtown:
http://home.earthlink.net/~tfonstad/oldmil.jpg
http://www2.jsonline.com/desk/histwi...dbig060799.jpg
http://nrhp.mnhs.org/images/s039_02.jpg
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...kw000139xl.jpg

Circa 1885:
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...mi000065xl.jpg
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...mi000060xl.jpg
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...mi000106xl.jpg
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...mi000111xl.jpg
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/M...mi000059xl.jpg

Enough of my incessant flooding. ;)

Incredible.
Much thanks to the thread starter and everyone who shared photos.
If only our cities could regain a fraction of their urbanity... :(

If I could live in this period in terms of urbanity, but with modern conveniences... I'd be one happy dude.

If you hadn't written that it was from Boston, I could have thought that this pic was from somewhere in north-western Europe.