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Vintage Birmingham Alabama – Historic Downtown Art Print

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About This Image

Vintage Birmingham Alabama – Historic Downtown Art Print

This historic downtown art print features a vintage scene from Birmingham Alabama. While I may never find a time machine, old photos like this one of 2nd Avenue are the next best thing to a TARDIS. There are elements of vintage photographs like this one that are, of course, familiar, but there are an array of small details that speak to a bygone era.

The first element that most of us probably see in this old old photo is the streetcar on the downtown streets of vintage Birmingham. I know it was the key element that attracted me and made me want to restore this old print (originally published by Detroit Publishing in the early 1900s). Streetcars ran on the streets of Birmingham from the 1890s through the early 1950s. This vintage Birmingham art print features a photograph taken from circa 1906 in the heyday of the classic electric streetcars.

But the elements of turn of the century life extend beyond the streetcars, the cobblestone streets, and period clothing. It’s in the little details like the functional awnings over the street windows seen here along 2nd Avenue North near the intersections of 19th and 20th streets. Notice how the awnings on the sunny side of the street are down while they are drawn up on the shady side. This vintage photo is from an era without air conditioning in the old south. You would have wanted to control how much light came in during those hot days. These days most of our awnings are fixed and primarily decorative reminders of yesteryear.

The Birmingham streetscape a century later is much different, but there is one common feature. The tall building you see looming ahead still stands. Known today as the Frank Nelson Building, this piece of vintage Birmingham, the First National Bank Building was one of the first skyscrapers in the city and was only a few years old when this photo was taken. Do you think any of the people walking along the streets of Birmingham that sunny morning imagined people would be looking at this photo of that long ago day over a century later?

It was a real pleasure restoring the details in this vintage Birmingham Alabama street scene. It’s such a cool blast from the past and deserved to be preserved for other actual and armchair historians to enjoy. Which camp do you fall into?

What attracts you to the restored photo on this vintage Birmingham Alabama art print?

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Art Prints – Product Information

When decorating your home or office, you deserve high quality decor that will last. Art prints purchased on this site are individually produced for your order. They are printed on acid-free paper using archival inks. This guarantees that your art print will last a lifetime without fading or loss of color.

All art prints feature an additional 1″ white border surrounding the artwork. This border is in addition to the stated size. This additional paper allows for easy matting and framing.

Within 4 to 5 business days of your purchase, your art print will be shipped to you securely rolled in a durable cardboard tube or triangular mailing box.

If you encounter difficulty accessing the on-site purchase button at the top of the page, please use this button to shop directly from Pixels/Fine Art America, the vendor who handles fulfillment for these products. And please notify me!

Mark Tisdale - The Artist Who Runs This Site
The Artist Behind The Curtains

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I’m here to answer any questions you may have, help you find the perfect print, or discuss any custom touches that might make your purchase even more personal.

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Art has been my passion and my livelihood for almost 20 years. I’m grateful for every person who chooses to bring my work into their space or gives it as a truly personal gift. Please do let me know how I can help make your experience a great one!