New York in the 1900s: See a Broadway Show, Buy a Studebaker
Times Square and Central Park attract tourists to New York City in droves, but what were the most exciting sights back in the 1900s? Well, steak houses, famous dance halls and of course the theatre district! Thanks to our find of a 1919-ish program from Cranin's 46th Street Theatre, we're exploring back in the day versus today, for NYC tourists.
Say you're sitting down with $95 tickets to see How to Make It in Business Without Really Trying and you're psyched to see both Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) just as much as you are to see a musical in the Big Apple. Believe it or not, almost nothing has changed for theatre-goers in NYC over the last 90+ years. The actor names are different, the musicals and tech flashier maybe, but the thrill and excitement is the very same.
Another thing that hasn't changed too much as the theatre programs, stuffed as they are with ads for nearby restaurants and luxury products. Back in the day, however; theatre went hand-in-hand with aspirational items, so programs were chock-full of the latest must-have: the elegant automobile.
Here we see the higher-priced (but attainable) auto options of the time. A Rolls-Royce here, a Studebaker there, and even Kelly-Springfield tires make an appearance. Today you'd know the latter—the oldest tire company in the USA—as Goodyear, who wouldn't dare attempt to sell their tires in a Broadway program these days. Okay, so maybe things have changed, but there's one thing that definitely won't: our love for looking at vintage tourist brochures and remembering those who've treaded the Great White Way before us.
Check out more of our vintage NYC travel ads here.
[Credit: Cranin's 46th Street Theatre program]
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