New York Then and Now

Marc A. Hermann is a press photographer with an eye for the past. In his series “Then and Now” he merges crime scene photos from the archive of the New York Daily News with modern day images of the same locations. They are fascinating and at times disturbing, giving us a unique look at New York history. Like the image above of Edna Egbert, a resident of 497 Dean Street, Brooklyn, who on March 19, 1942, distraught over the lack of news from her son serving in the War, climbed out onto the ledge of her building and fought with police who finally managed to get her down to safety.

Then there’s this image of a fire that broke out at the Elkins Paper & Twine Company at 137 Wooster Street, New York, on February 16, 1958. Two firemen and four members of the New York Fire Patrol died that day; the building was later demolished and today the current building houses both commercial space and apartments.

The rest of the images in the series are equally compelling. To view them (warning: some of the photos include dead bodies), visit Hermann’s site here. Original black and white photos by Charles Payne.