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1800s1890New Yorkold photographsPhoto Archive

Horse Drawn Street Cleaner

By November 19, 2014No Comments

Street CleaningThis ingenious horse drawn street cleaner is washing the streets of New York City and scrubbing them at the same time. The driver is wearing a constable’s type hat, and looks like he is sitting on top of a some sort of war chariot but in fact it is a water cistern that is supplying the jets coming out the side. The movement of the wheels seems to be acting as a pump, while the scrubber is dragged behind the carriage.

I am not sure of the date of the photograph but I would guess it was taken some time between 1890-1910, based on the pedestrian’s clothing and the fact that there are no motor vehicles on the street. I honestly had no idea that street cleaners were invented that far back. However this must have been a pretty unusual sight in New York even back then because the city had a reputation for being absolutely filthy in the late 1800s.

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Victor Doppelt

Victor Doppelt

Victor Doppelt explores the world of yesterday through vintage photographs and informative articles.