Street cleaning in the turn of the century city

Turn of the 20th century, that is. Before sweeper trucks came along, New York’s roads were cleaned with a contraption like this: a flimsy, horse-pulled cart with a water sprayer, squeegee, and roller at the rear.

This photo, from the New York City municipal archives collection, is undated . . . and there’s almost no description of where it was taken.

It’s just another random moment in the early 20th century city no one could imagine would be of interest 100 years down the line.

Tags: Municipal archives, New York early street cleaners, New York sanitation 1900, New York street, New York street cleaners, New York street scene, Street sweeping New York