I'm posting here a higher resolution version of this image for those who would like to further analyze it as well as a colorized version for clarity and a better feel of depth. You can see more easily Central Park for instance. Please note that this color version might not reflect the exact colors of the real things.
This was one the richest area of NYC. The inhabitants of those amazing mansions on the left would not appreciate the view of wooden poles with dangling wires. All wires were already buried under the street, hence the new tarmac.
On these enhanced pictures, it doesn't seem to me that the woman on the right is pasted in on painted. Both her and the old man with the straw hat seem attracted by some noise, something going on in or at the bottom of the building on the right.
Also, on the color image, the smoke is more visible. It clearly comes out the apt or hotel building behind the church. That church is still there BTW. The only survivor of the buildings visible here.
Correction: It seems it was destroyed after all. They 'simply' replaced it with a new one.
My bad...
Well, in any case it sure demonstrates one century of degradation. From elegance to vulgarity and boredom.
Ok, I see it much more clear in color version. I will try to explain to you, modern city boys some details here, as I see you are not accustomed to old technology. I am from eastern Europe, and remnants of those old technologies were around me till 20 years ago, so I will try to defend some details and give credibility to this photo:
1. Man on the roof - 99,9% it is a chimney man. See that dark uniform, and hat that every chimney man has. He also seems in relaxed position, as he is very accustomed to heights. I would say that "book he is holding" is shadow, or some sort of tool (bucket for ash, or lunchbox?) that is dark and in shadow. I would say that he is holding hands in his pockets, after the work is just done, he is enjoying the view, as he has rarely been in such a rich and nice neighborhood.
2. electric carriage - in 1908, that was not such a rarity. This technology was know to man for 20 years until this pic was taken. Yes, electric motor was first, but back then they also knew how hazardous battery is, and how short life it has, so they stopped to produce it and started to make a diesel engine, which was/is still better, and it is not so hazardous (yes, electric motor is not great, because batteries are made from cobalt, very rare and poisonous material - where we should dump a few billions of those? I think, if we would have electric motor only, for a 150 years, we would be all dead, because of how much batteries is that in rivers, seas, and under ground? And we would travel slow, as every few hundred miles you need to fill the battery for a few hours)
3. lady in lower right corner is not added, because it has a photo blur around, it means she was in movement when photo was snapped. Nobody was added here, I know how that looks on old photos.
4. these "antennas" are lightning rods, except those strange ones, that look like tree branches, I have seen them in my town sometimes, but not sure why are they in that form.
5. roofs are very narrow, and in combination with spikes, no bird could sit and shit on the roof. At least, it was rare.
6. "half of roman eagle" is wind measure (how fast and in which direction it blows - there was no weather cast in 1908.!)
7. Those "x-flags" could be some factory logo, not sure about it.
8. There is no wires, as they were under the ground, as they should be, but as we reproduce like some kind of planetary pest, we would have to dig whole streets to do so in modern times. Everything is nicer when there are not millions of people around it.
9. You can also have those beautiful houses built now, but nobody wants to pay stone masons to do that, as they are expensive (they are artists with university diplomas!) That kind of house today would be 10 times more expensive than ordinary house of same size! But it is very possible to do that today!
10. Poison Ivy grows very fast, in a few years it would be those size. I have it on my house, you can not trim it enough!
11. All of those does not mean it is everything according to the narrative, but there was a technology, and it was very expensive, reserved for rich, as it is now. And you listened to stories from your modest grandpa, so you think there was none. Truth is, he did not know that there is technology, as he was illiterate and working in the fields. Same as my father does not know anything about Tik-Tok, foldable phones, lasers, and much more. If I listened only to him (as your father was listening to your grandpa stories- there was no tv and radio in poor parts of states, and majority lives there), I would also not know about anything new.
P.S. clean streets - only in those, rich parts of town. Everything else was dirty as hell, including people. And it is easy to maintain clean streets when there are no idiots who think graffiti is art, and that everybody is an artist.
