NEW YORK—Lunch hour culture in New York City starting from 150 years ago is the focus of a free exhibition opening Friday at New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.
More than a century ago, New Yorkers began carrying pocket watches and employers introduced punch clocks. Speed, not quality, became the forefront of lunch, as well as proximity. This was especially so as merchants and other businessmen moved north, and away from their homes, to conduct business.
