New York City wouldn’t be the same without its bright yellow taxis zipping through the streets, adding that perfect splash of color to the skyline. But did you know those cabs weren’t always yellow? 

The first cabs were actually painted green and red. It wasn’t until Allen’s New York Taxicab Company decided to switch to yellow that things changed. The idea was to make the cars more visible from a distance, and it worked so well that yellow became the standard across the city.

Today, I happened to spot a classic yellow taxi and caught a moment where the old and new came together in one picture—a small glimpse of New York’s evolving history.