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A black and white photograph of a closeup of ferns.

John T. Morris Takes Pictures of Port Richmond with His Kodak. It’s 1889.

Step back in time with us! 


Last week on Hidden City Philadelphia, archivist Joyce Munro shared photographs taken in the 19th century by John T. Morris whose legacy lives on at Morris Arboretum & Gardens, which was once his and his sister Lydia's private estate.

In these photographs, taken with the first point-and-shoot Kodak camera, Morris captured everyday life in Port Richmond in 1889. His photographs offer a rare glimpse into Philadelphia’s past and the beginnings of modern photography.

Read the full story → 
A image of photo negatives from the 1800s.
A black-and-white photographs from the late 1800s of a man walking along a building will business signs.

 

A black-and-white photograph from the late 1800s of a horse-drawn trolley car on a city street.
A black-and-white photograph of a tugboat on a body of water.