The New York Times is known for its incomparable coverage of hard-hitting news; but it is also a place where you can find recommendations and solutions to everyday problems. Long before Wirecutter, The Times’s Helpful Hardware column appeared in the Home section from 1978 to 1987, providing suggested products to help improve life. This image appeared alongside an article about what were, at the time, new items for pets.
The helpful article read, “Cat owners who want to coordinate their pet’s accessories can order custom-made cat scratching posts in any fabric from the Animal Nutrition Center (1398 Second Avenue, between 72d and 73d Streets). The cost varies depending on material and size of the scratching post. The store also carries many ready-made scratching posts, ranging in price from $9.99 to $120.”
This photograph is from The New York Times “morgue” — the basement repository in Times Square where approximately six million pictures are stored. It is one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive libraries in the world, with photos dating back to the turn of the last century. It’s also a working archive — its black-and-white photographs are used every day for the newspaper. To maintain the historical integrity of the image, the photograph is reprinted in its original hard-copy condition, showing cropping indicators, reference numbers and airbrushing by retouchers to highlight specific areas.
