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How confident are you of the date? That looks like a lot of cars, and more modern models, for 1898
Not very. I typically just do a reverse image search to make sure that if I’m wrong about the date, I’m not the only person who’s wrong. XD
This is at least in the late tens early twenties looking at the cars.
So this comm approves of gaslighting, I see
Only when in the public interest!
Processing this image in my mind was an interesting journey.
At first, it looked like an adolescent, until I zoomed in a bit. Then I wondered if it was the photo or reality that the subject appeared disfigured, as if his face was burned. Then I zoomed in some more and thought maybe he’s just old. Like…40s.
What exactly is he doing?
Streetlamps back then weren’t electric, but typically gas (or sometimes oil) - they need to be lit with an open flame before they can start operating. The wick in this case is on a long pole so he doesn’t have to climb up the ladder for every lamp on his route.
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Piped in (underground ) from a central gasworks. I’m not sure if they were on the same municipal gas system as the gaslight in homes, but it seems likely.
Actually, in this picture it looks to me more like morning and he’s extinguishing the lamp, turning off the gas. But I could be wrong.
