1860–1899
The Gilded Age
From the aftermath of the Civil War through the explosive growth of industry, railroads, and cities. America transformed from an agrarian republic into an industrial powerhouse, while immigrants poured through Ellis Island seeking a new life.
146 photographs

Punch
1841

The way they get married in California
1849

The way they get married in California
1849
![[Americans convertng canoes into schooners, in the Bay of Panama]](/photos/0957-americans-convertng-canoes-into-schooners-in-the-bay-of-pa.jpg)
[Americans convertng canoes into schooners, in the Bay of Panama]
1849

Mr. Golightly, bound to California
1849

The way they go to California
1849
![[P. J. Espenscheid store, Nevada City, California]](/photos/0974-p-j-espenscheid-store-nevada-city-california.jpg)
[P. J. Espenscheid store, Nevada City, California]
1850

Gold in California - "El Dorado," in Sacramento
1852

Sonora from the north
1853

Springfield, Tuolumne County
1853

A well-known banking house
1853

A Pike's Peaker Crossing the Plains ; Crossing the Platte.
1859

Rigi Railroad
1860
![[Gold mining in Calif.]: "Cradle rocking, on the Stanislaus"](/photos/0970-gold-mining-in-calif-cradle-rocking-on-the-stanislaus.jpg)
[Gold mining in Calif.]: "Cradle rocking, on the Stanislaus"
1860
![[Railroad construction on the City Point and Army railroad line]](/photos/0935-railroad-construction-on-the-city-point-and-army-railroad-l.jpg)
[Railroad construction on the City Point and Army railroad line]
1861

Pacific railroad
1862
![[Railroad yard, Chattanooga, Tennessee]](/photos/0948-railroad-yard-chattanooga-tennessee.jpg)
[Railroad yard, Chattanooga, Tennessee]
1863

Sutter's Creek, Amador County, from the South
1866

Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore M.D.
1870

Fairmount, Philadelphia
1870

Philadelphia brewery
1870
![[St. Louis] Court House, St. Louis, Mo.](/photos/0579-st-louis-court-house-st-louis-mo.jpg)
[St. Louis] Court House, St. Louis, Mo.
1870

Every thing coming down
1870

Worker in Berliner Factory
1871

View of Berliner Gramophone factory, worker with unassembled Gramophone components
1871

View of Berliner Gramophone factory, workers assembling or testing Gramophones
1871

Railroad office
1871
![[New-York Tribune Building, Printing House Square, New York, New York]](/photos/0008-newyork-tribune-building-printing-house-square-new-york.jpg)
[New-York Tribune Building, Printing House Square, New York, New York]
1873
![[New-York Tribune Building, Printing House Square, New York, New York]](/photos/0009-newyork-tribune-building-printing-house-square-new-york.jpg)
[New-York Tribune Building, Printing House Square, New York, New York]
1873

New York,
1873

New York,
1873

New York,
1873

St. Louis
1873

New York
1874

New York
1874

San Francisco, California
1874

Scenes in Philadelphia
1874

The city of St. Louis
1874

St. Louis fair grounds
1874

16th Street, Denver
1875
![[New-York Tribune Building, Printing House Square, New York, New York]](/photos/0010-newyork-tribune-building-printing-house-square-new-york.jpg)
[New-York Tribune Building, Printing House Square, New York, New York]
1876

Chicago champions
1877
![[Library Company of Philadelphia, Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]](/photos/0228-library-company-of-philadelphia-locust-street-philadelphi.jpg)
[Library Company of Philadelphia, Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]
1880

The City of Baltimore
1880
![[Silhouette of a couple in a horse-drawn carriage]](/photos/0761-silhouette-of-a-couple-in-a-horsedrawn-carriage.jpg)
[Silhouette of a couple in a horse-drawn carriage]
1880

Cowboys sitting by supply wagons
1880

Horses. Pacing
1881

Horses. Pacing
1881

Horses. Irregular
1881

Horses. Irregular
1881

Horses. Irregular
1881

Horses. Irregular
1881

Horses. Pacing
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

Horses. Pacing
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

Horses. Pacing
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

Horses. Trotting
1881

The New York and Brooklyn suspension-bridge - New York entrance
1883
![[Driver with horse and carriage]](/photos/0760-driver-with-horse-and-carriage.jpg)
[Driver with horse and carriage]
1884

Sunset study, San Francisco Bay
1884

San Francisco, 1849
1886

Cowboy
1886

Philadelphia Base Ball Club
1887

Cowboys, roping a buffalo on the plains
1887

Siege of Atlanta
1888

Atlanta and Vanitas
1888

Cowboy life--riding a yearling
1888

San Francisco Bay
1889

San Francisco Bay
1889
![[Women working in Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C.]](/photos/0396-women-working-in-bureau-of-engraving-and-printing-in-washin.jpg)
[Women working in Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C.]
1889

Cowboys coming to town for Christmas
1889

The Warwick, Philadelphia
1890

Denver, Colorado
1890

Denver, Colorado
1890

Denver, Colorado
1890

Denver skyline
1890

Jonathan Club, Los Angeles
1890

Hotel Multnomah, Portland, Oregon
1890

Oregon sunset, Typical Oregon Sunset, this one at Rooster Rock in the Columbia River Gorge near Portland
1890

Vue de San-Francisco ; vista de San-Francisco
1890
![[Cliff House, San Francisco]](/photos/0136-cliff-house-san-francisco.jpg)
[Cliff House, San Francisco]
1890
![[Boston, Mass., Boston Massacre Monument]](/photos/0182-boston-mass-boston-massacre-monument.jpg)
[Boston, Mass., Boston Massacre Monument]
1890

Los Angeles Limited
1890

Royal St., New Orleans, Louisiana
1890
![[U.S.S. Atlanta]](/photos/0519-uss-atlanta.jpg)
[U.S.S. Atlanta]
1890
![[Exchanging horses at the Bell Inn]](/photos/0769-exchanging-horses-at-the-bell-inn.jpg)
[Exchanging horses at the Bell Inn]
1890
![[Covered bridge and people with horses and carriage, Lebanon(?), Pennsylvania]](/photos/0770-covered-bridge-and-people-with-horses-and-carriage-lebanon.jpg)
[Covered bridge and people with horses and carriage, Lebanon(?), Pennsylvania]
1890

Ciniselli Circus Water Pantomime.
1890
![[First U.S. immigrant station on Ellis Island]](/photos/0832-first-us-immigrant-station-on-ellis-island.jpg)
[First U.S. immigrant station on Ellis Island]
1891

Los Angeles Ball Club 1892
1892

President Cleveland and family
1893
![[Portland Library Association, Portland, Oregon]](/photos/0681-portland-library-association-portland-oregon.jpg)
[Portland Library Association, Portland, Oregon]
1893

Portland Library Association building, Portland, Ore.
1893

Detained immigrants on Ellis Island, New York harbor
1893

Marie Huber(?), Seattle, Wash
1894
![[Seattle, Washington, from offshore, aboard ship]](/photos/0540-seattle-washington-from-offshore-aboard-ship.jpg)
[Seattle, Washington, from offshore, aboard ship]
1894
![[U.S.S.] Minneapolis](/photos/0722-uss-minneapolis.jpg)
[U.S.S.] Minneapolis
1894

U.S.S. Minneapolis
1894

U.S.S. Minneapolis
1894

U.S.S. Minneapolis
1894

Railroad depots
1895

Mission Dolores, San Francisco
1895

S.S. St. Louis
1895

S.S. St. Louis
1895
![Coomassie [Kumasi]; main street](/photos/0731-coomassie-kumasi-main-street.jpg)
Coomassie [Kumasi]; main street
1895

Horse-drawn carriages in front of church
1895

Horse-drawn carriage on road overlooking waterfront
1895

A holiday visit, Chinatown, San Francisco
1896

Independence Hall, Philadelphia
1896
![[Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.]](/photos/0398-washington-monument-washington-dc.jpg)
[Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.]
1896

U.S.S. Atlanta
1896

U.S.S. Atlanta
1896

On the street, Atlanta, Ga.
1896

Man standing beside horse-drawn carriage sledge
1896
![Atlantic City, N. J., 1896. Busses [horse-drawn carriages] leaving the railroad depot](/photos/0767-atlantic-city-n-j-1896-busses-horsedrawn-carriages-l.jpg)
Atlantic City, N. J., 1896. Busses [horse-drawn carriages] leaving the railroad depot
1896
![[Treadwell Gold Mine; Alaska, 1896]](/photos/0964-treadwell-gold-mine-alaska-1896.jpg)
[Treadwell Gold Mine; Alaska, 1896]
1896

Panorama of Denver
1897
![Fred Tenny [i.e. Tenney], Boston Boston base ball club.](/photos/0190-fred-tenny-ie-tenney-boston-boston-base-ball-club.jpg)
Fred Tenny [i.e. Tenney], Boston Boston base ball club.
1897
![[Trolley cars near Boston Commons, Boston, Massachusetts]](/photos/0194-trolley-cars-near-boston-commons-boston-massachusetts.jpg)
[Trolley cars near Boston Commons, Boston, Massachusetts]
1897

Street scene, Philadelphia, Pa.
1897

Frances F. Cleveland, February 1897
1897

Frances F. Cleveland, February 1897
1897
!["Judge" "Judge" afterward stole Cleveland's stow[?] of whiskey on the Yukon and cleared $10,000.](/photos/0960-judge-judge-afterward-stole-clevelands-stow-of-whisk.jpg)
"Judge" "Judge" afterward stole Cleveland's stow[?] of whiskey on the Yukon and cleared $10,000.
1897
![Ship yard, Lake Linderman [i.e., Lindeman]](/photos/0971-ship-yard-lake-linderman-ie-lindeman.jpg)
Ship yard, Lake Linderman [i.e., Lindeman]
1897

Foot of summit, Yukon Trail, Alaska
1897

He did it all
1897

Denver, Colorado
1898

On Dyea Trail, Alaska
1898

Bound for the Klondike Gold Fields, Chilcoot Pass, Alaska
1898

Panorama of Los Angeles
1898

Portland, Oregon
1898

Bird's-eye view of Portland, Oregon
1898

Packers ascending the summit of Chilkoot Pass during the gold rush of 1898
1898

After the golden prospect
1898

A cowboy
1898

Cowboy throwing lariat
1898

A Real Live Cowboy
1898

Portland, Ore. Hotel Portland
1899
![[Group of young women reading in library of normal school, Washington, D.C.]](/photos/0409-group-of-young-women-reading-in-library-of-normal-school-w.jpg)
[Group of young women reading in library of normal school, Washington, D.C.]
1899
![[Negro city tenements, Atlanta, Georgia]](/photos/0533-negro-city-tenements-atlanta-georgia.jpg)
[Negro city tenements, Atlanta, Georgia]
1899

Oregonian Building, Portland, Oregon
1899