Then & Now: Saratoga Springs, NY

Being from Saratoga, I love to discover old photographs of the city.  Saratoga has a long and fascinating history, centered mainly around its natural springs, grandiose hotels (most of which are no longer standing), and horse racing track, which just celebrated its 150th anniversary.  It may not be as well-known a destination as New York or Boston, two of the nearest big cities, but I can assure you there is no shortage of subjects to photograph here. I just finished a great book Saratoga Lost: Images of Victorian America by Robert Joki, which compelled me to write this post, the fourth in my series of then and now photo essays.  Most of the "then" photos are stereoscopic views, which, with a stereoscopic viewfinder, will appear 3D.  You can also cross your eyes just a little bit until you see the shot in 3D, but be careful with that method!

Saratoga Race Course grand stand then:

"Grand Stand, Race Course" (Public Domain Photo) from New York Public Library via WikiMedia Commons

The grand stand now:

Yaddo then:

"The Mansion at Yaddo" (Public Domain Photo) from Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons

Yaddo now:


Yaddo gardens then:

"Yaddo Pergola" (Public Domain Photo) from Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons

Yaddo gardens now:


Columbian Spring then:
"Columbian Spring" by the Kilburn Brothers (Public Domain Image) from New York Public Library via Wikimedia Commons


Columbian Spring now:


Saratoga Lake then:

"Saratoga Lake" by Barnum Deloss (Public Domain photo) from New York Public Library via WikiMedia Commons

Saratoga Lake now:


Hathorn Spring then (interior):

"Interior of the Hathorn Spring, adjoining the bazaar." by McDonnald & Sterry (Public Domain Image) from New York Public Library via WikiMedia Commons

Hathorn Spring now (still lovely, but not quite as grandiose!):


A residential street then (1960s):

(Personal family photo)

That same street now:

Broadway then:

"Broadway, Saratoga, N.Y." (Public Domain Image) from New York Public Library via WikiMedia Commons

Broadway now:


Congress Hall (hotel) then:

"Congress Hall, Saratoga" by Deloss Barnum (Public Domain Image) from New York Public Library via Wikimedia Commons

Site of Congress Hall now (Spirit of Life Statue):

Spit & Spat in Congress Park then:

"Canfield's Park" (Public domain photo) scanned by parkerdr via Wikimedia Commons

Spit & Spat now:



Tools I used to create the "now" photos this post:  Canon EOS Rebel T1i, (replaced by Canon EOS Rebel T5i), Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, Manfrotto 190XDB Tripod, Manfrotto 496RC2 Ball Head, B+W 77mm Circular Polarizer Slim Filter, B+W 77mm 3.0 ND 110 Filter, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, Adobe Photoshop CS4, Adobe Photoshop CS6