New York’s earliest ice cream man

Well, he could be, perhaps—with a wooden cart rather than a truck and a bucket of ice instead of a freezer.

He’s not quite Mister Softee or the Good Humor guy, but then, his cart probably doesn’t play the same jingle over and over again.

This sketch is dated August 11, 1885 and is titled “A Summer Scene in the Streets of New York—the Ice Cream Man.” It’s from the NYPL.

Tags: first ice cream cart, Good Humor man, ice cream history, ice cream man history, ice cream street vendors, Mr. Softee, Summer in New York City