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This
is the title page illustration that appears in the original
edition and then in the paperbacks beginning with the 1991 edition of The Street.
After the generic cover for the 1946 edition, this interior illustration sends a much clearer image of what the street is like. If you want an idea of what a Harlem street like 116th Street looked like in 1946, this works.
One has to wonder why this was not used on any of the covers. After all, compare it to the descriptions given in the novel itself. This is practically an illustration for the first chapter description of the street as Lutie finds the apartment. There's a pushcart man similar to what Min uses at the end of the novel. There's blowing trash in the gutter, street and sidewalk. The dogs that are referenced in terms of Bub's game are even represented.
Besides being a common style used in the early 20th century, the sketchy style used is also appropriate to the content of the novel. The people and buildings aren't detailed, which make them more universal. These could be anyone on any street. There's enough detail to emphasize the nature of the street and the people who live on it, but not so much that the reader sees specific people or places. The use of this illustration again starting with the 1991 edition is appreciated. It shows that someone at the original publisher had read the book and understood its content.
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