An old, faded stereoscope view of the Bronx (on the left) and Harlem (on the right).

These views were created by using a double camera to take two simultaneous pictures, side by side. When the stereoscope card was then placed in a special holder and viewed through separate openings (for each eye), a dramatically 3 dimensional view was created by the viewer’s brain.

The faded photo is mounted on cardboard, and from the shadows, you can see that the view is looking south.

The photographer took the image/s from the recently completed High Bridge - a crucial part of the Croton Aqueduct. You can see a single person in the photo, perhaps with a dog:

According to the seller on Ebay, the view was taken by and published by the Kilburn Brothers of Littleton, NH.

The High Bridge was built in the mid-19th century as part of the Croton Aqueduct system, which carried water from the Croton River in Westchester down to Manhattan. The bridge opened as an aqueduct across the Harlem River in 1848. A public walkway was completed in 1864, added above the aqueduct’s original pipes. Public access to the walkway was discontinued in the 1970s but reopened a few years ago.

The view today shows how the Deegan has taken up much of the landscape, but the railroad tracks remain

Harlem-opoly

As seen in Harlem at the Schomburg: