The Slower Road

For today: another busy street scene from the 1892 Glimpses of the World book.

Here, there seem to be quite a lot of two-wheeled vehicles and of course the horse-drawn trolleys in the foreground.

.

.

Bearing in mind (with regard to the flag atop the statue of Nelson) that Ireland had not yet gained its independence when this was written, here’s what the photo’s caption says:

“The Irish are exceedingly proud of their capital, and well they should be. Its situation on the river Liffey near its entrance into Dublin Bay is beautiful, and many of its public buildings command the traveler’s admiration. Its principal thoroughfare, Sackville Street, has few superiors in Europe. In the center, and dividing it into upper and lower Sackville Street, is a fluted Doric column 134 feet in height, crowned by the statue of Nelson, and reared to commemorate the hero of Trafalgar. The cost of the monument was about $33,000, which was raised by popular subscription. On every anniversary of Nelson’s greatest victories, the Union Jack is displayed from the top of the column. But the Nelson monument is only one of the many striking features of Sackville Street. Here, for example, is the General Post Office, presenting a long and handsome façade adorned with statuary. Here also are several statues of distinguished Irish patriots, and many of the finest business blocks and hotels of the city. Moreover, this is the great promenade of Dublin, and it has been often stated that nowhere can there be seen more beautiful women than one may meet here on a pleasant afternoon. For if a ‘real old Irish gentleman’ is one of the most agreeable of acquaintances and one of the truest and warmest of friends, so Irish ladies are not only charming in form and feature, but remarkably attractive from the rare combination they exhibit of high breeding and dignity together with a quick sympathy and warm-hearted impulsiveness, which no mere covering of conventionality can ever quite conceal.”

For our next look at a London scene from the 1892 Glimpses of the World book, we have this busy street outside the Bank of England:

.

.

In the street are pedestrians, a wagon loaded with barrels, at least one passenger vehicle, a Hansom Cab, and what appears to be either a coach or an Omnibus with passengers seated on top.

The book’s caption for this photo says, in part:

“In the very heart of the city of London stands a low-browed, massive structure, streaked with soot and without even a window in its outer walls. It is the Bank of England. This absence of windows is supposed to give greater security to its valuable contents, the light within being received from interior courts and skylights. The structure looks therefore like a gigantic strong-box, covering four acres of territory! This establishment, though a national institution, is itself a private corporation. Its capital is about seventy-five million dollars, and its bullion alone is supposed to be at least one hundred and twenty-five million dollars in value. Its affairs are managed by a governor, a deputy governor, twenty-four directors, and nine hundred clerks. Below the surface of the ground there are more rooms in this structure than on the ground floor.”