Panoramic view of Manhattan, showing Brooklyn Bridge under construction

The commercial photographer Joshua H. Beal worked out of a studio at 16 Beekman Street, where he created this composite image from five exposures. To take the photographs, he hauled heavy camera equipment, glass plate negatives, and a tripod up 30 flights of stairs to the top of the eastern tower of the still-incomplete Brooklyn Bridge. The Manhattan tower of the bridge, visible here, was not finished until 1883. Without the barrier of modern skyscrapers, the vantage point offers a clear view of the Hudson River, the coast of New Jersey, and lower Manhattan landmarks such as Trinity Church. Also visible are the city’s first two skyscrapers, the 9-story New York Tribune headquarters and the 10-story Western Union building, both all-masonry structures completed in 1875.