You might think the Belle Époque was only Paris, but the U.S. had its own moments of flair. Between 1870 and 1914, figures like Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla drove the spread of electric light, while tycoons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt reshaped cities with railroads and wealth. World’s fairs, steel bridges, and new entertainment reflected ambition and social change. Photography documented crowds, inventions, and daily life as modern America took shape. Scroll on to meet the people and events that defined the country’s Belle Époque.
#1: Opening of the Brooklyn Bridge (1883)
When the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883, it linked Manhattan and Brooklyn in a way never seen before. Designed by John Roebling and completed by his son Washington, it carried pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, and eventually trolleys.
