Although no fragments of Charles W. Fox’s tailor shop remain, I believe this image still deserves some attention, as does Mr. Fox. (Photo Credit: Antique Cottage Collectibles on eBay.)

The photo is mounted to a card with a photographer’s mark on the back. This is from the Mercantile Photograph Company in New York, NY. They were located at 381 Canal Street.

There were a handfull of photographers in New York City who specialized in photographing buildings, businesses, storefronts, and a variety of other locations. The Mercantile Photograph Company was one of them. I’ve seen their name on many photos taken around New York City.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what 381 Canal Street looks like today. (If you like Dunkin’ Donuts, it’s looking pretty fabulous!) Unfortunately, from my research, this building was constructed in 1920, long after the Mercantile Photograph Company’s time at that site.

The photo of Fox’s tailor shop shows the street numbers on his glass storefront, 73 and 75. With this information, I went to ancestry.com and searched the New York directories for Charles W. Fox with “tailor” added as a keyword. The result led me to the 1902 directory for Brooklyn that showed a business address at 73 Smith Street and a home address at 405 Union. Indulge me for just a moment while I see where Mr. Fox lived.

405 Union Street (entrance at center) was reportedly built in 1899, so this home was very new when Mr. Fox lived there. It was only a .08 mile walk to his shop on Smith Street, the next block over.

As for 73 & 75 Smith Street, the building no longer stands and has been replaced by a modern structure. The buildings that were once across the street, visible in the reflection of the tailor shop’s windows, are also gone. That site is the future home of the Brooklyn Detention Complex at 275 Atlantic Avenue.