Old Houses in the "Five Points", 1870 (from Scenes of Old New York) 1871

Henry Farrer created this etching, *Old Houses in the "Five Points"*, in 1870 as part of his series "Scenes of Old New York". The Five Points was a notorious neighborhood in lower Manhattan, infamous for its poverty, crime, and immigrant communities. Farrer, who was an English-born American, presents us with more than just a depiction of urban decay. There is a liquor store at the street corner, and groups of figures suggest a narrative of daily survival and social interaction. The architecture itself—the old wooden houses juxtaposed with the emerging brick buildings in the background—hints at the rapid transformation of New York City. This work invites us to consider the layers of history embedded in the urban landscape and the diverse experiences of those who inhabited it. Farrer doesn't shy away from showing us the conditions of the Five Points, but he also captures the area’s complex social fabric. In doing so, the etching prompts us to reflect on themes of immigration, poverty, and the ever-changing face of American cities.