Untitled #8, from the River series

The remnants of piers built in the nineteenth century, like the ruins of Pier 51 in Downtown Manhattan depicted here, are a ghostly reminder of the importance of river trade in Manhattan’s history. Janelle Lynch’s photographs document indelible marks of mostly industrial human activity, while simultaneously being devoid of people. In little more than a decade since Lynch captured this shot, a spike in construction has transformed the shoreline from what was once a watery graveyard to what it is today.