City of New York

In this extraordinary aerial panorama of New York City and its surroundings, sailing ships and steamboats populate the waterways surrounding Manhattan, while the masts of many moored ships line all the the North (that is, Hudson) River and East River shorelines. In the foreground is Battery Park and Castle Garden. At right, the view features the rooftops of warehouses along Brooklyn’s waterfront and, even more prominently, the East River Bridge (later called the Brooklyn Bridge), although the span was, in fact, under construction, only to be completed later in 1883. An extensive key is printed beneath the image across the bottom margin to identify seventy-five landmarks from Jersey City (at the left/west), in Manhattan (center), to Brooklyn and Williamsburg (at right/east). Such a grand vista broadcast to viewers the importance of New York City as a leading world port.

Nathaniel Currier, who established a successful New York-based lithography firm in 1835, produced thousands of prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life. Expansion led, in 1857, to a business partnership with James Merritt Ives; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued until 1907. People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring spectacular American landscapes, or rural and city views, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. The artist team of Charles R. Parsons and Lyman Atwater, noted for their maritime scenes and city views, created more than thirty images for Currier and Ives.