Document 9-4: Frontispiece from Sunshine and Shadow in New York (1868)

Contrasting Images of Urban Life

Frontispiece from Sunshine and Shadow in New York (1868)

The economic transformation of the early nineteenth century left a complex legacy as is suggested by this image, which appeared on the title page of Matthew Hale Smith’s midcentury book, Sunshine and Shadow in New York. Smith’s book profiled the city’s famous residents and described its distinct cultures. He emphasized the contrasts New York presented: Broadway and Five Points, Wall Street and the Bowery, swindlers and the clergy. It was a city of extremes, shaped by the rapidly expanding market, immigration, and urbanization.

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Source: Matthew Hale Smith, Sunshine and Shadow in New York (Hartford, CT: J. B. Burr and Company, 1868).

READING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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