history of violence The Tontine Coffee House by Francis Guy (412)

Long before there was a New York Stock Exchange, where do you think stockbrokers, traders, and merchants met to buy, sell, and trade? In buildings like the ones in this painting, done by Francis Guy in 1797. The paintings title is The Tontine Coffee House, and thats the building on the left with the flag on top and all those prosperous looking men standing on the porch. On the right side of the painting is the corner of the Merchants Coffee House. The street on the right is Wall Street. You're looking east and you can see the masts of ships at East River wharves. Its a busy scene of commerce as workers handle barrels and bales and boxes, unloading them or getting them ready for loading on those ships. Two of the workers in the center are African-American. They may be either slaves or free men, since New York's population included both at that time. New Yorkers ran on coffee even back then. But in eighteenth century America coffee houses were also important meeting places. Politicians and military officers debated ideas. Merchants met to make business deals. The Tontine Coffee house was famous in the city as a marketplace for all kinds of commodities... ships, horses, real estate, rum...even slaves. The street on the left is Water Street. Today the intersection of Water and Wall Streets is still the heart of New York's financial district. And New Yorkers still fill coffee houses to conduct business and debate ideas.

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history of violence The Tontine Coffee House by Francis Guy (412)
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