Directory
Neighborhood Studios
A directory of 49+ portrait photography studios in New York City's immigrant neighborhoods, 1880s–1940s. The most complete listing of its kind on the web.
Between the 1880s and 1940s, portrait photography studios were essential institutions in New York City's immigrant neighborhoods. They served families who needed formal photographs to send to relatives still in Europe, to mark weddings, bar mitzvahs, and confirmations, and to establish their American identity. A studio sitting was both a luxury and a necessity—one of the few ways a newly arrived family could say, we are here, we are well.
Almost none of these studios have any digital presence today. They operated for decades, produced thousands of photographs, and then vanished from the historical record when their proprietors died and their buildings were demolished or repurposed. Of all the studios listed below, only two have descendant-operated websites: Kornweiss Photography (this site) and the Wittmayer family. This directory exists to fill that gap—to give these studios a permanent, searchable presence on the web for researchers, genealogists, and families seeking to identify old photographs.
Map View
Studio Locations
Loading map...
Click a marker to see studio details. Zoom out to see Brooklyn studios.
Showing 49 of 49 studios
| Name | Address(es) | Active Period | Origin | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph KornweissKornweiss PhotographyNYPL PIC | 155 Rivington St 151 Rivington St 26 Canal St 1609 Pitkin Ave, Brooklyn | c. 1890–1930s | Russia | Studio portraits, cabinet cards |
| Abraham KornweissKornweiss Photography | 26 Canal St | c. 1900–1910s | Russia (presumed) | Studio portraits |
| Kornweiss Bros.Kornweiss Photography | 26 Canal St | c. 1900–1910s | Russia (presumed) | Studio portraits |
| Gustave Wittmayer ("Gus the Photographer") | 129 Rivington St 156 Rivington St 158 Rivington St 312 Grand St | c. 1908–1950s | Born Vienna, Austria, 1889 | Studio portraits |
| A. Smith | Canal St | c. 1900s–1910s | — | Studio portraits |
| Ph. Hurwitz | LES area | c. 1900s–1910s | — | Studio portraits |
| M. Pomerantz | 59 Canal St | 1880s–1890s | — | Studio portraits |
| Nathan Randell | 43 Canal St 29 Canal St | 1902–1906 | — | Studio portraits |
| J. Vans | 413 Canal St | 1872–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| Bailey’s Photograph Gallery | 371 Canal St | Pre-1900 | — | Studio portraits |
| Louis Yelsky | 126 Delancey St | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Louis Landesman | 20 Delancey St | 1916 | — | Studio portraits |
| Alexander Thompson | 243 Grand St | 1872–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| Max Simon | 331 Grand St | c. 1920s | — | Studio portraits |
| Henry Bach | 27 Ave A | 1890s–1905 | — | Studio portraits |
| Henrietta Lamm | 27 Ave A | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Jerome Pomerantz | 12 Ave B | 1906 | — | Studio portraits |
| R.A. Randell | 57 Ave B 350 Bowery | 1906–1916 | — | Studio portraits |
| Harry Arshawsky | 42 Ave C | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Wendel Photographic Studio | 14 Ave A | c. 1890–1920s | — | Studio portraits |
| H.O. Eichler | 3 Ave A | c. 1880s–1900s | — | Studio portraits |
| Ralph Tarsy | 17 Chatham Square | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Polzinetti & Noto | 64 Catherine St | 1915–1916 | — | Studio portraits |
| Charles Eisenmann | 229 Bowery | 1876–1898 | Born Baden-Württemberg, Germany | Studio portraits, carte de visite |
| Frank Wendt | 229 Bowery | 1893–c. 1907 | — | Studio portraits |
| Pach Brothers | 260 Bowery | 1866–mid-1990s | Born Berlin, Germany | Studio portraits, celebrity portraits |
| Louis Gogler | 350–352 Bowery | 1880s | German immigrant | Studio portraits |
| Benjamin R. Phillips | 111 Bowery | 1859–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| William E. Vaughan | 228 Bowery 136 Bowery | 1860s–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| Obermüller & Kern | 388 Bowery | 1880s–1890s | — | Studio portraits |
| Frederick Ulrichs | 156 Bowery | 1867–1880s | — | Studio portraits |
| Henry Hirschinger | 388 Bowery | 1864–1868 | — | Studio portraits |
| Imperial Photo Studio | 38 Bowery 50 Bowery | 1902–1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Imperial Bromide Enlarging Studio | 30 Bowery | 1916 | — | Enlargements |
| W. Fricke | 50 Bowery | 1890s | — | Studio portraits |
| Henry Hager | 392 Bowery | Mid-19th century | — | Studio portraits |
| Eliza Balch | 123 Bowery | 1854–1866 | — | Studio portraits (notable early female photographer) |
| William Metz / Metz Studios | Pitkin Avenue, Brownsville | c. 1910–1950s | Russia | Studio portraits |
| Bickelmann | 499 Grand St, Williamsburg | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| Reynolds | 507 Grand St, Williamsburg | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| I. Cantor | 134 Tompkins Ave, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| B. Bloch | 543 Fulton St, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| A. Warshaw | Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| Estabrook’s Ferrotypes | 375 Fulton St, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1900 | — | Ferrotypes (tintypes) |
| S.B. Duryea | 39 Greenpoint Ave | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| Harry Kopke | 1293 Broadway, Brooklyn 479 Fulton St | c. 1890 | — | Studio portraits |
| Charles L. Kempf | 186 Myrtle Ave 627 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn | c. 1874–1905+ | — | Studio portraits |
| Weinig | 485 Fulton St, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| William Burg | 485 Fulton St 935 Broadway, Brooklyn | c. 1870s–1890s | — | Studio portraits |
Lower East Side — Rivington, Canal, Delancey, Grand
The Lower East Side was the densest neighborhood in the Western world at the turn of the twentieth century, home to hundreds of thousands of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Portrait photography studios lined Canal Street, Rivington Street, and the surrounding avenues, serving families who needed formal photographs for life-cycle events, to send to relatives in Europe, and to establish their American identity.
| Name | Address(es) | Active Period | Origin | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph KornweissKornweiss PhotographyNYPL PIC | 155 Rivington St 151 Rivington St 26 Canal St 1609 Pitkin Ave, Brooklyn | c. 1890–1930s | Russia | Studio portraits, cabinet cards |
| Abraham KornweissKornweiss Photography | 26 Canal St | c. 1900–1910s | Russia (presumed) | Studio portraits |
| Kornweiss Bros.Kornweiss Photography | 26 Canal St | c. 1900–1910s | Russia (presumed) | Studio portraits |
| Gustave Wittmayer ("Gus the Photographer") | 129 Rivington St 156 Rivington St 158 Rivington St 312 Grand St | c. 1908–1950s | Born Vienna, Austria, 1889 | Studio portraits |
| A. Smith | Canal St | c. 1900s–1910s | — | Studio portraits |
| Ph. Hurwitz | LES area | c. 1900s–1910s | — | Studio portraits |
| M. Pomerantz | 59 Canal St | 1880s–1890s | — | Studio portraits |
| Nathan Randell | 43 Canal St 29 Canal St | 1902–1906 | — | Studio portraits |
| J. Vans | 413 Canal St | 1872–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| Bailey’s Photograph Gallery | 371 Canal St | Pre-1900 | — | Studio portraits |
| Louis Yelsky | 126 Delancey St | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Louis Landesman | 20 Delancey St | 1916 | — | Studio portraits |
| Alexander Thompson | 243 Grand St | 1872–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| Max Simon | 331 Grand St | c. 1920s | — | Studio portraits |
| Henry Bach | 27 Ave A | 1890s–1905 | — | Studio portraits |
| Henrietta Lamm | 27 Ave A | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Jerome Pomerantz | 12 Ave B | 1906 | — | Studio portraits |
| R.A. Randell | 57 Ave B 350 Bowery | 1906–1916 | — | Studio portraits |
| Harry Arshawsky | 42 Ave C | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Wendel Photographic Studio | 14 Ave A | c. 1890–1920s | — | Studio portraits |
| H.O. Eichler | 3 Ave A | c. 1880s–1900s | — | Studio portraits |
| Ralph Tarsy | 17 Chatham Square | 1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Polzinetti & Noto | 64 Catherine St | 1915–1916 | — | Studio portraits |
23 studios listed
Bowery Corridor
The Bowery was New York’s original photography row. From the 1850s through the early 1900s, dozens of portrait studios operated along this thoroughfare, many founded by German immigrants who brought photographic expertise from Central Europe. The Bowery studios served a broad clientele—immigrants, entertainers, and working-class New Yorkers who could not afford the fashionable studios uptown.
| Name | Address(es) | Active Period | Origin | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Eisenmann | 229 Bowery | 1876–1898 | Born Baden-Württemberg, Germany | Studio portraits, carte de visite |
| Frank Wendt | 229 Bowery | 1893–c. 1907 | — | Studio portraits |
| Pach Brothers | 260 Bowery | 1866–mid-1990s | Born Berlin, Germany | Studio portraits, celebrity portraits |
| Louis Gogler | 350–352 Bowery | 1880s | German immigrant | Studio portraits |
| Benjamin R. Phillips | 111 Bowery | 1859–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| William E. Vaughan | 228 Bowery 136 Bowery | 1860s–1873 | — | Studio portraits |
| Obermüller & Kern | 388 Bowery | 1880s–1890s | — | Studio portraits |
| Frederick Ulrichs | 156 Bowery | 1867–1880s | — | Studio portraits |
| Henry Hirschinger | 388 Bowery | 1864–1868 | — | Studio portraits |
| Imperial Photo Studio | 38 Bowery 50 Bowery | 1902–1915 | — | Studio portraits |
| Imperial Bromide Enlarging Studio | 30 Bowery | 1916 | — | Enlargements |
| W. Fricke | 50 Bowery | 1890s | — | Studio portraits |
| Henry Hager | 392 Bowery | Mid-19th century | — | Studio portraits |
| Eliza Balch | 123 Bowery | 1854–1866 | — | Studio portraits (notable early female photographer) |
14 studios listed
Brooklyn Immigrant Neighborhoods
As immigrant families prospered and Manhattan’s Lower East Side grew impossibly crowded, hundreds of thousands relocated to Brooklyn—Brownsville, Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and the streets around Fulton and Myrtle. Photography studios followed the migration, setting up along Brooklyn’s major commercial corridors to serve a new generation of families documenting their growing prosperity.
| Name | Address(es) | Active Period | Origin | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Metz / Metz Studios | Pitkin Avenue, Brownsville | c. 1910–1950s | Russia | Studio portraits |
| Bickelmann | 499 Grand St, Williamsburg | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| Reynolds | 507 Grand St, Williamsburg | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| I. Cantor | 134 Tompkins Ave, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| B. Bloch | 543 Fulton St, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| A. Warshaw | Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| Estabrook’s Ferrotypes | 375 Fulton St, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1900 | — | Ferrotypes (tintypes) |
| S.B. Duryea | 39 Greenpoint Ave | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| Harry Kopke | 1293 Broadway, Brooklyn 479 Fulton St | c. 1890 | — | Studio portraits |
| Charles L. Kempf | 186 Myrtle Ave 627 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn | c. 1874–1905+ | — | Studio portraits |
| Weinig | 485 Fulton St, Brooklyn | c. 1870–1930 | — | Studio portraits |
| William Burg | 485 Fulton St 935 Broadway, Brooklyn | c. 1870s–1890s | — | Studio portraits |
12 studios listed
Methodology
About This Directory
This directory was compiled from the following primary and secondary sources:
- NYPL Photographers' Identities Catalog (PIC) — The New York Public Library's authoritative database of photographer identities, studio addresses, and active dates.
- Langdon's List of 19th and 20th Century Photographers — A comprehensive index of photographers compiled from city directories, exhibition catalogs, and trade publications.
- Trow's New York City Directories — Annual business directories published from the 1850s through the early 20th century, listing commercial photographers by name and address.
- Center for Brooklyn History (CBH) Finding Aids — Archival inventories for Brooklyn-based photography collections, studio records, and local business histories.
- Cabinet Card Gallery — An online reference for identifying 19th-century photographers through card-mounted portrait imprints.
- Yiddish Book Center — Collections and oral histories documenting Jewish cultural life in immigrant New York, including studio photography.
Dates marked “c.” are approximate, derived from surviving photographs, directory listings, or census records. Where origin information is unavailable, the field is marked with a dash. This directory is a living document and will be updated as new information surfaces.
Help Us Grow This Directory
Do You Have Information About Any of These Studios?
If you have photographs, family stories, business records, or any information about the studios listed above—or about studios we haven't included yet—we would love to hear from you. Every detail helps reconstruct the story of immigrant photography in New York City.
Get in Touch