I received this E-mail from one of my friends and I was amazed how clear those are!

Those are supposed to be at least 100 years old! Was it due to mosern technology?

It was quite interesting to see them. Down town of Detroit looks much lively than nowadays. KJ

I think they used a big (large) film plate and then exposed the picture
with small lens opening in broad daylight, on a sturdy firm tripod.
That's why the resolution and sharpness are so good.
I don't see any "sharpening" artifacts in above pictures.
I can usually tell if there had been a process of digital sharpening.

These may be really nothing unusual.
Ansel Easton Adams (1902 – 1984) took a lot of good pictures of this quality
about a little less than 100 years ago.

Front view of entrance, "Church, Taos Pueblo National Historic Landmark, New Mexico, 1942" [Misicn de San Gercnimo] (vertical orientation);
From the series Ansel Adams Photographs of National Parks and Monuments, compiled 1941–42, documenting the period ca. 1933–42.


A photo of a bearded Ansel Adams with a camera on a tripod and a light meter in his hand.
Adams is wearing a dark jacket and a white shirt, and the open shirt collar is spread over the lapel of his jacket.
He is holding a cable release for the camera, and there is a rocky hillside behind him.
The photo was taken by J. Malcolm Greany, probably in 1947.