Whitman's Broadway

When I was reading Leaves of Grass, I was struck by Whitman's reference to Broadway in the following lines:

"Looking in at the shop-windows in Broadway the whole forenoon . . . . pressing the flesh of my nose to the thick plate-glass."

It seemed to me that Broadway's cityscape, even back in 1855, would directly contrast the numerous references to nature in "Leaves of Grass." I also was fairly certain that Broadway had not yet been established as the symbol of theater, but I wanted to check.

As it turns out, Broadway was not yet the theater district we think of -- but it was certainly busy. According to the New York Public Library's site, Broadway started as a residential neighborhood but quickly expanded to into a long street of endless stores and hotels. In 1853, two years before Whitman published "Leaves of Grass," there were 37 different construction or demolition sites on Broadway, many of which resulted in hotels. One person even predicted that Broadway would eventually "'present three miles of unbroken shop front'" (NYPL) Titled Winter Scene in Broadway, this painted lithograph (Girardet, Hippolyte) encapsulates the street's environment:



I know the image is still a little small, but it's easy to see that the environment is crowded and chaotic. In fact, the same site provided some context for the picture, explaining that "in the daytime, . . . the greatest danger was the risk of being run over while crossing the street. A fire truck and firemen add to the traffic confusion in this lithograph." The combination of carriages, the firefighters, rows of horses, and the spectators emphasizes the disarray that made up Broadway.

However, Broadway was not only a chaotic but a democratic street. In 1854, Putnam's Monthly described Broadway as "'altogether the most showy, the most crowded, and the richest thoroughfare in America,' but 'the peculiarity of Broadway consists in its being not only the main artery of the city, not only the focus [but also] the agglomeration of trade and fashion, business and amusement, public and private abodes, churches and theaters, barrooms and exhibitions, all collected into one promiscuous channel of activity and dissipation.'" The wealth associated with Broadway existed alongside brothels and prostitution, similar to the opposing classes that are often juxtaposed in "Leaves of Grass."

I also found actual photographs of Broadway in 1855. Here is one of them:


It may not have the same exaggerated features as the aquatint, but the street still seems congested and crowded, lined with cars and cement rather than trees and grass. The opposition between nature and city is clear.

Whitman later wrote a poem titled "Broadway," which reflects the atmosphere of the street.


Published in The Herald in 1888, "Broadway appeared long after the 1855 edition of "Leaves of Grass," but I think the vivid descriptions are consistent with representations of Broadway from decades earlier.

Overall, I think it's helpful to contextualize Broadway because I can relate the reference to bigger themes such as democracy, nature, class, the collective whole.