By Rob Garber for the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group
Welcome to another installment in the Rag’s Historical Photo Challenge. The image above was taken somewhere on the Upper West Side, sometime in the past. Can you figure out where, when, and what it shows? Look closely; this week’s challenge photo, like the others in the series, includes clues that will help you identify the scene, if you’re a dedicated UWS history sleuth. And even if you don’t recognize the picture—not to worry! Come back in two weeks and I’ll decode it, show you the clues that help identify it, and—best of all—tell you a story the image unlocks, because this column isn’t just a test of your neighborhood knowledge; it’s also a rolling celebration of the people, buildings and events that wove the tapestry of the Upper West Side.
Ready? If you think you know where and when the photo was taken and what it shows, post your answer as a comment on this column.
Solution to Historical Photo Challenge #33
Subject: Ginkgo planted to honor Ulysses S. Grant
Location: Behind Grant’s Tomb on Riverside Drive
Date: early 1900s
Image Source: Museum of the City of New York
Clues: Hudson River—check. Glimpse of the long-since-demolished Claremont Inn on the right—check. So, we’re looking north from about 120th Street and either Grant’s Tomb hasn’t been built or it’s out of sight just behind the camera. Why, this is the ginkgo tree with the plaque that we’ve all walked by—and indeed, it’s immediately behind Grant’s Tomb. It leaned a bit to the east when it was planted nearly 130 years ago, and it leaneth still. It’s just a couple of hundred steps from the Amiable Chlld memorial that some of you guessed.
The rest of the story: When Ulysses Grant left the presidency in 1877, he was in his mid-50s, vigorous, and perhaps the most famous living American. He and Julia Grant embarked on a 2½ year trip around the world, meeting heads of state and promoting peaceful solutions to conflict. In China, Grant met with Li Hongzhang, a prominent general and statesman, who asked Grant to intervene with Japan in a dispute over the Ryukyu Islands. Grant did so, in an early example of American influence in international affairs that predated by a quarter century Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning involvement in ending the Russo-Japanese War. Li Hongzhang remembered Grant’s gesture, and when Li visited the United States in August 1896, he paid his respects at Grant’s temporary tomb in Riverside Park. When Grant’s permanent tomb was completed less than a year later, Chinese minister Yang Yu planted a ginkgo tree behind the tomb with a bronze plaque dedicating the tree in Li Hongzhang’s name. The plaque and the tree are still there. According to a contemporary newspaper account, the ginkgo was transplanted by the Parks Department from Morningside Park. The tree next to the ginkgo is of interest as well: It is a “companion tree” in accordance with Chinese tradition. It is a Phellodendron, a species with medicinal properties commonly known as the Amur Cork Tree.
…and that’s the story behind the image in the last challenge. Now scroll back to the top of the column and take on your next one, Sherlockians! If you’ve missed any pictures in this series, you can find the complete set on my author page. All photos in the Upper West Side Historical Photo Challenges used with permission.
About the author: Rob Garber has lived on the Upper West Side since the late 20th century and is a member of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group. To learn more, visit their website at upperwestsidehistory.org.
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