1901 City Hall Philadelphia PA Postcard (UDB)

About This Postcard

This antique monochromatic postcard features a bustling view of South Broad Street looking north toward City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The photograph showcases the city's emerging early 20th-century skyline, including several prominent skyscrapers and the iconic City Hall tower topped with the statue of William Penn. The street scene captures horse-drawn carriages, early bicycles, and pedestrians, offering a detailed look at the urban transport and daily life of the era.

Details

Era: Undivided Back (c. 1901–1907)
City: Philadelphia
State: Pennsylvania
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Country: United States
Topic: South Broad Street, Philadelphia City Hall, Urban Landscapes, Early Skyscraper Architecture, Horse-Drawn Carriages.
Condition: Unposted / Inscribed
Address Side: Undivided Back
Orientation: Horizontal (Landscape)
Artist / Photographer: Not Stated
Publisher: The Central News Company, Philadelphia (Series No. 073)
Printer: Printed in Germany
Print Type: Halftone / Phototypie

Additional Information

The front of the card features the imprint of The Central News Company, a major Philadelphia-based publisher and distributor active during the postcard boom. The address side contains a simple handwritten name, Mrs. Milo Hill, but is otherwise unposted. It features a stamp box indicating domestic one-cent and foreign two-cent rates, along with the vertical text Printed in Germany, which was the standard for high-quality American postcard views of this period. The undivided back layout confirms it was manufactured before the 1907 postal regulation change in the United States.