Prospect St., Bristol, Conn. 105.

Prospect St., Bristol, Conn. 105.

View of late 19th century brick commercial blocks on a broad street in a downtown. This image is part of a series made by one of the three Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company photographers assigned to cover New England or upstate New York. The quest for images that would be saleable as postcards resulted in the documentation of small towns and small town life at the turn of the 20th century. As the photos were shot, the glass plates were promptly sent back to Belfast, Maine, and processed into postcards at the printing plant on High Street. Bristol's downtown is seen in the early years of the 20th century. While there is no particular evidence of the city's historically significant hardware and clock industry, the image shows a four-story vernacular Renaissance Revival brick block, with storefronts on the sidewalk and other businesses and perhaps apartments upstairs. Visible farther down the block is the Red Mens' Building, home of the patriotic fraternal order. At the left, Perry N. Holley's drug store occupies the corner of the building, with window signs advertising the ubiquitous "Cigars/ Soda/ Candy" to lure passersby. A sign above reads: "Shields Business College" and "Bristol Electric Co./ Electric Contractors/ Electric or Gas Fixtures"' Next door is Young's Butter Store; adjacent are C.W. Nason & Co. and a carpet store.