Description
Outstanding circa-1920 original mounted occupational photograph documenting the New York City storefront of Milton Schnaier Contracting Corporation, an established plumbing contractor active in substantial Manhattan construction work.
Two men are deliberately posed inside the shop-one wearing work clothes and a brimmed hat and the other formally dressed behind the counter. A pedestal sink occupies the center of the window, surrounded by extensive hand-painted trade lettering:
* Milton Schnaier Contracting Corp.
* Plumbing
* Sheet Metal Work
* Roofing
* Emergency Service Day & Night to Customers Only
* W. H. Campbell
Additional lower-window lettering advertises roofing, furnace, range, repair, and related services. The open doorway, visible shop interior, displayed plumbing fixture, architectural reflections, and identified business make this an unusually detailed record of early New York trade and commercial life.
Milton Schnaier’s plumbing business was operating in New York by the turn of the century and later became the Milton Schnaier Contracting Corporation. A 1922 New York court proceeding documents the corporation performing a plumbing installation valued at $47,673 during 1920-1921, demonstrating that this was an established contracting concern rather than an unidentified neighborhood shop.
The photograph measures approximately 5 × 7.25 inches and is permanently mounted on its original 7.25 × 10-inch gray presentation board. The blank reverse and understated mount are consistent with a commissioned commercial photograph of the period.
The photograph presents very well. The mounting board has expected light corner and edge wear, including a small abrasion along the right edge, while the image retains strong detail and excellent historic character.
A scarce and highly displayable image with crossover interest for collectors of occupational photography, New York City history, storefronts, advertising, plumbing trades, architecture, and early American businesses.
Please view all the photos for a complete understanding of the photograph, mount, details, and condition.
