Nine Police Surveillance Photographs — 1941 May Day Parade
Item
Title
Nine Police Surveillance Photographs — 1941 May Day Parade
Description
These surveillance photographs were taken by the New York City Police Department on May Day 1941. The images show participants from multiple City College student and faculty organizations including a chapter of the American Student Union. Marchers can be seen carrying signs in reference to the ongoing Rapp-Coudert hearings. The parade started from 56th Street at 2PM with participants working their way towards Union Square for addresses later in the day. The New York Times reported that the May Day festivities of 1941 were significantly smaller than years past. In fact, the parade faced "denunciations by labor unions and labor leaders who said it was wholly communistic." As a result, the participant count of 18,788 was one-third less from the previous year's figure.
Creator
New York Police Department
Source
New York State Archives
Contributor
Smith, Carol
Rights
Public Domain
Original Format
Photograph
Date
May 1, 1941
New York Police Department. “Nine Police Surveillance Photographs — 1941 May Day Parade.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/571