In a New York City that no longer exists, horse-drawn carriages and early motor omnibuses share the cobblestones of 42nd Street as pedestrians in Edwardian dress navigate the crosstown bustle — the Aeolian Building's towering white facade dominating the north side of the street, the New York Public Library's unfinished or newly completed classical bulk anchoring the left edge, and a dense corridor of commercial signage receding toward the blur of Times Square in the middle distance. This vivid colorized postcard, published by the American Art Publishing Co. of New York City with catalog number R-43974, captures 42nd Street at the precise moment of its transformation from a relatively sedate midtown corridor into what the card's own reverse text breathlessly declares to be "the busiest crosstown street in the city" with "28 of the foremost playhouses and 40 great restaurants" in the vicinity of 42nd and Broadway — a corridor that would become the heart of American theatrical culture. The Aeolian Building (completed 1927 in its current form but the earlier structure at 362 Fifth Avenue visible here dates from 1902) helps date this view to approximately 1908–1914. Postage instructions on the reverse ("US and Canada One Cent, Foreign Two Cents") and the divided-back format are consistent with the 1907–1915 era. The card is unused and retains strong color.