When photographer Charles W. Cushman traveled across the United States and abroad from 1938 to 1969, he captured breathtaking moments of what life was like around the world.
His alma mater, Indiana University, has maintained the archive of Cushman’s work and allowed for the viewing of photos taken of New York City taken from 1941 to 1942.
Showing glimpses of what popular spots like Midtown, the Financial District and more from over 70 years ago, the photos are breathtaking and in color.
It was a time where the world was in the midst of battle, but life in 1940s New York was one of vibrancy.
An amateur photographer, the variety in which Cushman captured shows various aspects of life as a New Yorker.
A large majority of the images captured feature buildings and statues that are no longer there.
Three men sit on a bench in Battery Park during lunch hour captured by photographer Charles W. Cushman who photographed New York from 1941 to 1942
Photos showing the city’s skyscrapers were common in Cushman’s photograph as he walked in the FInancial District during September in 1941
A sign showing that a janitor was wanted at this building located on the west side of Midtown as children play on the sidewalk
The corner on Pearl Street, which now runs south through the Financial, featured a printing company
A train station located a short distance from the South Street Manhattan tower of the Brooklyn Bridge. Weighing 90,000 tons, it supports more than 14,000 miles of wire
The old Fulton Market on Manhattan’s Lower East Side was not as crowded as the now popular market that is there today
A hot-dog vendor waits to sell food and ‘cold soft drinks’ in Bowling Green
A statue of Abraham de Peyster, mayor of New York City from 1691 to 1694, is seen in Bowling Green
Cushman captures a shot of Riverside Drive in Harlem just north of the George Washington Bridge
A man waters the street on Fulton Street as Cushman photographs on Suth Street in the Financial District
Men in suits walk in the Financial District as men sitting in more casual wear look to be resting from work
On the corner of Broome Street and Baruch Place on the Lower East Side, children convene in the street as women sit on storefront engaged in conversation
Cushman spent a lot of time on ferries and in New Jersey to capture the city from a distance
A man stands near the river with a newspaper in his pocket showing an advertisement for something costing five cents
Showing the variation of transportation, this photo has a horse drawn carriage along with cars and the subway in the distance
Trinity Church located in the Financial District was nearing its 100th birthday at the time
Two views looking up a street of many races, lower Manhattan
Cooper Union, located on Astor place in what is now known as East Village
A street in Chinatown showing places for visitors to get chow mein and chop suey
South Street teems with trucks , along Eastriver
cSorley’s Old Ale House. E. 7th St. Street