A Slice Of Little Italy In 1900 (Colorized) And Today

April 22, 2021

The Great Arrival

“Little Italy” on the Lower East Side of Manhattan witnessed as much change over the course of the 19th century as any part of New York City. The hub of Italian immigrants took shape as they started arriving in America in the 18th century. Italy at the time suffered from droughts and diseases like cholera and malaria that drove Italians to seek out greener pastures. As the 19th century progressed, Italy showed little improvement thanks to fascism, corruption, exorbitant taxes, and the Mafia.

Between 1880 and 1920, over four million Italians arrived in America, many settling in New York City. From pasta to organized crime, Italians brought a piece of everything from home. Today, “Little Italy” hardly resembles the sprawling 30 block section that the “five families” called home. Now it’s 3 blocks and functions more like a tourist destination rather than a neighborhood for “made men.”

The Italian Wave

A street musician and a cop on Mulberry Street, 1897. (boweryboyshistory)

From the end of the 19th century into the beginning of the 20th, New York City received a seemingly endless wave of Italians. By the Roaring twenties, almost 400,000 Italians made the Big Apple home. Not all of them settled in “Little Italy”; many branched out to East Harlem. However, the Italian influence was felt all over the city. The food, the language, even organ grinding, and puppet shows popped up all over “Little Italy” as well as the rest of the city. Obviously, the delectable food and the joyous nature of Italians helped to ingratiate themselves with native New Yorkers and soon they were a proud part of the city.