A Walk Through Old Wall Street
New York City's Wall Street has long been the financial center of the United States. This book, "Early Wall Street: 1830 -- 1940" (2014) takes the reader on a quick walk through the early days of the financial district, with its changes and continuities from the early 1800s through the days of the skyscrapers. The author, Jay Hoster, collected images of Wall Street for many years. The photos in this book are drawn from his collection. Hoster was affiliated with the Museum of American Finance which currently is closed and in search of a new home. The book consists of photos together with Hoster's annotations, a brief Introduction, and a bibliography. The book is best taken as an introductory tour in time of Wall Street and its environs. As Hoster writes, "I hope you enjoy looking at these images as much as I have enjoyed collecting them."
The book captures a sense of Wall Street and of change over time. The focus is on landmarks, such as Trinity Church and the New York Stock Exchange. The book includes photos of buildings that have occupied the same space over time as well as of buildings that are no more and almost forgotten. The book shows the streets, the waterfront area, the old elevated railroad, some natural and human disasters, statues, people and crowds. It is a collage of an iconic area over time. Material appears to be duplicated among the book's seven chapters. A map of the Wall Street area would have been a useful addition for readers unfamiliar with the area.
The book is part of the Images of America Series of Arcadia Press which presents local photographic histories of countless American places. Wall Street is a small, unique area and also international in its influence. The book brought back memories of short visits I took to Wall Street, particularly as a law student with ambitions of a Wall Street career which did not materialize. My strongest memories of Wall Street come from a beloved story, "Bartelby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" by Herman Melville which is set in some of the early buildings shown in this history.
I enjoyed my brief visit to old Wall Street in this book and thinking of Wall Street as a local community and as a crucial part of our country.
