Photos of Wall Street: The NYSE Through The Years

Table of Contents

The Buttonwood Agreement, 1792
Former Headquarters of the NYSE on Broad Street, 1868
NYSE Trading Floor, 1903
Women Changing the Ticker Tape, 1918
Crowds in the Street During the Panic of 1907
The Wall Street Bombing, 1920
A Bank Run During the Great Depression, 1929
Trader Attempts to Sell His Car, 1929
Traders on the NYSE floor, 1963
Ronald Regan on the NYSE Floor, 1980s
The NYSE Floor in 1999
Traders Watch the Stock Market Crash of 2008
The NYSE Today

Founded in 1792 under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street, the NYSE’s humble beginnings saw 24 stockbrokers signing the Buttonwood Agreement, establishing the principles that would guide the fledgling stock exchange. This pivotal moment marked the birth of a financial institution that would grow to become the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization.

Throughout its illustrious history, the NYSE has witnessed and adapted to the seismic shifts that have shaped the financial landscape, from the panic of 1907, which led to the creation of the Federal Reserve, to the Great Depression, and through to the technological revolutions that transformed trading floors. The transition from face-to-face transactions to digital trading has epitomized the NYSE’s ability to evolve, embracing technology while maintaining its central role in global finance.

These photographs of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) offer a vivid snapshot of the dynamic environment within, highlighting the intense energy, anticipation, and occasional jubilation that permeate its trading floors. These images not only capture moments of significant economic transactions but also reflect the broader historical and cultural significance of the NYSE. They document the evolution of trading practices, from bustling floor traders signaling in a sea of papers to the calm efficiency of digital screens and electronic trading.