Good Old (literally) New York

New York City has such a rich and interesting history, and it sometimes blows my mind to consider how the Manhattan we know today is so vastly different than it was - on the scheme of things - really not all that long ago. It makes the earliest visual evidence of New York's past even more fascinating, and one such photograph - or, daguerreotype - was auctioned off by Sotheby's today. Presumed to have been taken in the 1840s, the image could easily be mistaken for, well, anywhere but Manhattan, what with the sprawling landscape and all:This 'country house' resided on what is now Broadway on the Upper West Side. The (anonymous) winning bid for the 4 x 5 1/4 in. image? $62,500!

Photo credit: Sotheby's