A reader writes:

I was digging through the very limited archives of the NY Times Select that Philips is so graciously sponsoring this week when I came upon an article about the Brooklyn Bridge opening.

It's a fairly standard tableau from 1883: President Chester A. Arthur attended the ceremony alongside the mayor as a lusty crowd cheered the connection of what were then two separate cities. What struck our reader was some of the detail added to the article to provide color:

This image was lost some time after publication, but you can still view it here.


Read on for more information about the swarthy dagos who toiled in the span's construction.

Two Great Cities United [NYT]