What year do you think this is from?

If you were wondering what year this image came from, the best answer is 1936. In fact, archival records identify this photograph as being taken on July 2, 1936, at Tremont Avenue and Dock Street in the Bronx, showing Abe’s Plaza Gas Station with multiple Texaco pumps and a tall roadside sign.

The photo is a striking look at everyday life in New York during the Great Depression era. One of the most eye-catching details is the posted gasoline price: 11 2/10 cents per gallon. The sign also advertises cars washed for 95 cents, a reminder of how different prices were in the 1930s compared with today.

This image is also notable because it is associated with Berenice Abbott, the celebrated photographer behind the “Changing New York” project, which documented the city’s streets, buildings, and businesses during a period of major urban change. That helps explain why the photo feels both documentary and artistic at the same time.

For American readers today, the photograph offers more than nostalgia. It captures an era when full-service gas stations, mechanical pumps, and large brand signs were central parts of city life. The Texaco branding, the pump design, and the street setting all reflect the look of a rapidly modernizing America in the mid-1930s.

So, based on both the visible clues and the historical record, this Bronx gas station photo is from 1936.