In the second half of the 19th century, the era of the American history known as the Guided Age, 5th Avenue in Midtown became an upscale residential area, with many handsome mansions gracing the avenue between 34th and 42nd streets.
The photograph dated to the 1880s shows, looking north, the 5th Avenue mansions and the Croton Distributing Reservoir , the present location of the New York Public Library and Bryant Park.
The photograph was carefully kept for many years as part of an institutional archive of New York City visual records. Despite having been properly stored and handled, the photograph faded, and by the time it was brought to the studio, many details on the photograph became almost invisible to the naked eye.
To restore the image to its original condition, a high-resolution digital scan was made, followed by careful retouching and digital editing. Small details such as the telegraph wires crossing above the avenue were made visible again, the contrast and richness of the tones were brought back, and the minor damages and later additions to the image, such as a catalog number written in ink in the left top corner, were removed.