In the 1890s, Boston was a bustling, rapidly changing city. The streets were crowded with horse-drawn streetcars and carriages, though electric trolleys were becoming more common. Immigrant workers, especially from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe, filled neighborhoods like the North End, where busy markets and street vendors added to the vibrancy. Factory workers moved between narrow, crowded tenements and industrial areas, while the city’s elite traveled in carriages through more affluent neighborhoods.
Public spaces like Boston Common offered a break from the busy streets, while the waterfront and shipping docks remained vital hubs of activity. The mix of old-world charm and new industrialization defined the city’s dynamic street life during this period. These fascinating photos from City of Boston Archives captured street scenes of Boston in the 1890s.
Boston City street cars, Tremont St., Boston, circa 1890
Boston City street cars, Washington Street looking north from Summer Street, Boston, circa 1890
Roxbury High School, Warren Street, Boston, 1892
Boston and Maine Station, Haymarket Square, Boston, circa 1894
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