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A Photographer's Life in Early 20th-Century Inwood
William D. Hassler was a photographer working in New York in the early 1900s. He shot all around the city, but let's take a look at his images of his own life in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood.
Isham Park
Prolific photographer William D. Hassler documented the five boroughs from 1910 until his death in 1921. Working for a diverse range of companies, Hassler shot subjects of all sorts throughout the city.
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150 Vermilyea Avenue
Hassler was born in Cochranton, PA, and raised in nearby Meadville.
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150 Vermilyea Avenue
Moving to New York in 1905, Hassler and his family lived in this modest apartment.
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150 Vermilyea Avenue
He had a small photography studio carved out of his living space at 150 Vermilyea Avenue #44.
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150 Vermilyea Avenue
Hassler captured his personal life as much as the city around him. Many of his photographs record his daily life and family. In this image you can see, among others, his sister, Harriet E. Hassler, and his wife, Ethel Gray Magaw Hassler.
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150 Vermilyea Avenue
Like many parents, he didn't miss a chance to take a photo of his son, William Gray, who frequently appears in photos of outings around the city.
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611 207th Street
William Gray and his mother were avid gardeners, tending to an urban allotment garden kitty-corner to their home on Vermilyea Ave.
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150 Vermilyea Avenue
Speaking of "kitties," here's their cat Reddy, in what is perhaps an advertisement for Quaker cereal.
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Isham Park
The Hasslers were active members of their community in Inwood and frequent visitors of nearby Isham Park.
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Paulist Fathers' Church of the Good Shepherd
Hassler died young, at the age of 44, but his photographs live on and provide a fascinating window into New York history.
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