These century-old photos of Philly will be displayed on Wi-Fi kiosks along Market

LinkPHL, the Wi-Fi kiosks that were scattered across Philadelphia by the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability last year, have partnered with the Department of Records to showcase historic photos of the city from its archives along Market Street.

The photos chosen reflect a similar location to the current kiosks, and some date back to the 19th century. Interns with the City Archives noted the date, location and photographer from bundles of nearly 2 million photos saved in the archives before scanning them into the digital realm.

The campaign “will give residents and visitors a glimpse of what Philly streets used to look like,” a LinkPHL spokesperson said.

Since their instillation, the LinkPHL Wi-Fi kiosks see about 3,000 app openings each week, and the kiosks are frequently used to make calls, the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, LinkPHL ran another historical campaign for Black History Month highlighting major moments during the 1960s civil rights movement in Philadelphia. Also in February, the kiosks accepted photos of loved ones around Valentine’s Day to display on the screens. And in March, the kiosks displayed photos of influential women from Philadelphia who played an integral role in shaping history.

“One of our goals for LinkPHL is to enrich the lives of Philadelphians through local content partnerships that provide important perspectives and expertise about life in the city,” said Ruth Fasoldt, Link’s director of external affairs, of the campaigns.

A spokesperson didn’t disclose how long the archival images would be displayed. Check out some of the throwback photos currently up: