Night photography was not very sophisticated before the 1950's because of the slow speed of the film. The earliest real photograph I have is shown to the upper right. It is taken from the corner of Front Street (Main Avenue) and Broadway looking north. The store on the corner is Hanson's Variety Store. The streaks of light near the top are from the electric street cars (a moving object like the street car will not register on a long exposure). Note the cobblestone street.

 

 

The color postcard of Broadway at night is "colorized" to appear to have been taken at night but is a black and white photograph taken during the day and "artistically interpreted" to appear to be night. Nicely done, although fake. Note that the First National Bank had not yet been built, thus dating the image before 1926 (as is the real photograph at the upper right).

 

The night scene to the lower right is another daylight scene recolored to appear to have been taken at night.

The night scene at the bottom is a real photograph postcard dated 1912. It looks south on Broadway from about Third Avenue.

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