Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, 1924, as the procession moves westward on East 106th Street, from First to Second Avenue. The Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua was a major street festival for the once thriving Italian community of Harlem. Tracing its origins to the town of Brusciano, outside Napoli, the Feast and parade were held on Labor Day Weekend, beginning in 1918. This area was the first neighborhood known as "Little Italy."

The Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, 1928.

The Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, 1931.

Men carry the "giglio" tower across First Avenue on 106th Street during the Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, 1927. Beginning in the late 19th century, Italians, particularly from Southern Italy and Sicily, began to settle in East Harlem. By the 1930 census, 81% of the neighborhood claimed first or second-generation Italian heritage. In 2000, after a 29-year break, the "dance of the giglio" returned to East Harlem, where it continues to happen on the second Sunday of August each year.

East Harlem, the neighborhood covering a broad swath of Upper Manhattan north of 96th Street and East of Fifth Avenue, has historically been known for its prominent populations: in the early 20th century, Italian Harlem; the Latino community of Spanish Harlem in later years. These photo's from the New York Public Library's Milstein Division provide a snapshot of daily life uptown, from street scenes to Feast Day parades.

The Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, 1929.