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November 8, 2007
How to get original DOB brownstone pics
We would like the original picture of our house... has anyone done this? Not sure where to start any help appreciated!
Comments
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/taxphotos/home.shtml#order
Posted by: johnife at November 8, 2007 10:55 AM
Not sure what you mean by "original picture" -- Do you mean the 1939-41 tax photo? That is available online from municipal archives. Best if you know your block and lot, which you can look up on ACRIS if you don't know it. You can also go down the muni archives and look it up on microfiche, but the photographic prints you pay for come out a lot better than printing a paper copy from microfiche. They do a good job adjusting for exposure. Extra points if you get the man in the hat in your photo (and a gold star if you actually know who he is).
Posted by: slopefarm at November 8, 2007 10:58 AM
THANK YOU!!!
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 11:06 AM
Whoa, now you've got me intrigued. I always figured that the guy in the hat in the front yard in the picture of my house was the owner. Are you saying that there was some guy who got himself in a whole bunch of the photos? Come on, spill the beans.
Posted by: johnife at November 8, 2007 11:08 AM
I figured the guy in the photo works for, or was contracted by, NYC DOF (or whatever Finance was called back then). I think he sets up the little stand with the lot and block number. My photo was definitely taken in cold weather -- the man is wearing an overcoat, dark-rimmed glasses and a really great looking hat in the style of the day. A bit of his right side is cropped out of the photo. My guess is they were taking these as fast as they could because they had a whole City to do, and he couldn't always get out of (or into??) the photo fast enough.
Sorry for the tease. I was really hoping some City old timer or local history buff might chime in with the answer, but I really doubt the man in the picture is the owner, particularly because, when I looked at the micro fiche, he was in a few of the photos.
BTW, some of the photos were taken after a snowstorm and the reflection really brightens up the houses like they were lit for a movie.
Posted by: slopefarm at November 8, 2007 11:22 AM
I just received a tax picture I requested from the Municipal Archives and they sent me a picture of the wrong house! I am ticked off. I specified the CORRECT block/lot and address and they sent me the wrong one. Pay attention interns!
Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 12:18 PM
There are a number of different "tax photo guys" who show up in the photos in various states of genuflection. I think they show up on windy days to hold the tripod (most of the tax photos don't show 'em). There is even a photo of the (entire?) tax photo crew - it shows about 11 guys on a street somewhere in the outer boroughs.
A friend of mine once compiled a tax photo companion calendar, which showed particularly interesting images with the guys in the pictures.
Posted by: WBer at November 8, 2007 5:35 PM
NFN: I got my tax photo and there was clothing draped along the front fence. Also, you could see that the sidewalk was ripped up on either side of the street. Footnote to history: the day they were taking the picture was when the City was installing the curbstones. The clothing probably belonged to the construction crew but they stepped out of the frame for the DOF guy to take the photograph. This is proof City agencies used to cooperate with each other.
Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 4:31 PM
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