This 1910 photograph shows a group of well-dressed men and women standing in front of several kneeling children. The woman in the center of the photo wearing a dark dress is pulling up the hem of her skirt. And that’s because she and the others are getting their shoes shined by the children, who are young bootblacks, in preparation for Rosh Hashana. On Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, it is traditional for Jewish people to wear their best clothes. Dingy shoes just wouldn’t do! More to think about: What can you tell about the people in this picture by the clothing they are wearing? Do you think the two children standing on the right side of the picture are bootblacks? Why or why not? The people in the photo are getting their shoes shined for Rosh Hashana. What special things do you do to celebrate a holiday?

This photo, taken in 1910, is proof that even more than a century ago, New Yorkers appreciated outdoor escapes. Here, we see a man seated at a table with several children. But this is no outdoor café. This group is at the rooftop reading room at the Seward Park Library, which was a prime destination for turn-of-the-last century Lower East Siders. The library, which opened in 1909, was built thanks to funding from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Sensitive to the needs of the neighborhood’s many Jewish immigrants, the library offered books written in both English and Yiddish. The rooftop reading room was also a recognition that many readers lived in dark and cramped tenement apartments; the airy space on the roof was a far more appealing setting in which to get lost in a book. More to think about: Have you ever benefitted from a library? Why do you think the library would have offered books in Yiddish? How do you think it would have felt to read in a space like this?

Though it might look like a brunch buffet just for boys, this table overloaded with yummy snacks (spot the sandwich cookies on the lower right side) was daily offering for Lower East Side school children starting in 1908. That’s when New York City launched a pilot program in a few public schools, including P.S. 21 on Mott Street, serving lunch to students for the affordable price of three cents. For one additional penny, children – like the boys shown here – could select an item from a snack table. In addition to the apples, crackers and cookies visible in this photo, newspaper accounts from the period reported that schools also offered penny snacks of cocoa, stewed prunes, and the especially delicious-sounding “slice of ice cream on graham cracker”! No wonder that by 1921 the program had spread throughout the city. More to think about: Why do you think schools serve meals to students? Can you imagine a buffet like this at your school? Why or why not?

This photo was taken inside the Lower East Side’s Seward Park Library and shows a line of children snaking down the staircase and around to the end of the hallway. What were all those kids waiting for? Books! Back in the early 1900s when this picture was taken, books were not only a way to learn, they were a prized form of entertainment and families often didn’t have extra money to buy them. Many Lower East Side children took weekly trips to the library to borrow new books – and return the ones they’d finished. (You’ll notice several children in line are holding books.) The Seward Park Library was one of 2,500 libraries built between 1883 and 1929 with money from the wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who believed that the richest Americans had an obligation to use their money for public good. Among the library’s draws to the immigrant children of the neighborhood? It offered books written in both English and Yiddish, and it had an outdoor reading room on its roof where kids could crack open the latest book while savoring the fresh air. More to think about: What role do books play in your own life? What public spaces do you rely on for fun?

This photo, taken in December 1908 by the Bain News Service, shows four newsboys who have gone fishing. Sort of. The boys had hopped into the fountain in Union Square to catch goldfish! Three of the boys likely still had work ahead of them, as they have unsold newspapers tucked under their arms. In the meantime, the boys’ antics attracted a crowd of well-dressed onlookers, who must have been surprised by the sight. If boys catching fish in a fountain wasn’t odd, the desire to splash around in the water on a winter day surely was! More to think about: What’s the most surprising way you have fun? How do you find ways to enjoy yourself even when you have work to do?

This 1912 photo captures a group of boys hanging out along the East River at the Rutgers Street slip. It was a hot day, and a few of the boys couldn’t resist jumping in the river to splash around and cool off. The ship worker on the boat on the right side of the picture seems to be gesturing to the kids, though it’s hard to tell whether he might be telling them to get out the way or giving them encouragement to have a good time. Although we don’t think about the East River as a suitable place for swimming today, things were different in 1912. Lower East Side kids didn’t have air-conditioning and the river was an easy way to find relief from the heat. More to think about: Why do you think people don’t typically swim in the East River today? How do you find relief from the heat?