Born 1889 in Lyck, Germany (now Poland) and emigrated in 1907, American photographer Theodor Horydczak is believed to have taken up photography during or after World War I, possibly while a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. His numerous “Washington as it Was” photographs are housed in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division in the James Madison Memorial Building.
The United States from the late 1920s to ’40s photographed by Theodor Horydczak
Horydczak was known for his photographs of the exteriors and interiors of commercial, residential, and government buildings and of events such as the 1932 Bonus Army encampment and the 1933 World Series. He retired in 1959.
Horydczak used a large-format Gold Ansco camera and typically used the photographic style called “bracketing,” or taking many subsequent images at different aperture settings. He married Frederica; they had a daughter Norma.
Horydczak died in 1971 in Montgomery, Pennsylvania, aged 82. These fascinating photos are part of his work that Theodor Horydczak took the United States from the late 1920s to 1940s.
Marketing at Center Market, Washington, D.C., circa late 1920s to early ’30s
Shopping at Center Market, Washington, D.C., circa late 1920s to early ’30s
View of the Lincoln Memorial statue through columns, 1925
Construction of Memorial Bridge over Potomac River, Washington, D.C., circa 1930
Exterior of the Washington Gas Light Co., circa 1930s
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