The City of New York
Lithographer
Parsons & Atwater
(American, 1835 - 1891)
Publisher
Currier and Ives
(1857 - 1907)
Datec 1876
Object number00008757
NameLithograph
MediumColour lithograph on paper.
DimensionsOverall: 702 x 994 mm, 0.25 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionColoured lithographic print titled 'The City of New York'. This print provides an aerial and panoramic view of a bustling New York city and harbour circa 1876. It was sketched and drawn by Parsons & Atwater and published by Currier and Ives in 1886. The steamers MASSACHUSETTS and PROVIDENCE are featured at the bottom of this panorama. The port of New York was an active centre of trade and commerce from the time it was first settled by the Dutch.
HistoryThe city of New York was established as a trading post in 1624 by Dutch colonists and originally called New Amsterdam. After it came under English control in 1664 it was renamed New York, after the English Duke of York. Under British rule the city grew in importance as a trading port. During the American Revolution (1775-1783) the city of New York became the North American military and political base for the British. Shortly after the War, the city became the Capital of the United States, serving in this capacity from 1785 - 1790. During this time, George Washington (the first President of the United States) was inaugurated; the United States Bill of Rights was drafted and the Supreme Court of the United States and the first United States Congress assembled for the first time at Federal Hall on Wall Street, Manhattan. By 1790, New York had become the largest city in the United States. In 1811 a development proposal, the Commissioner's Plan of 1811, led to the construction and opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, a waterway which enabled shipping between New York City and American cities on the Great Lakes and Europe via the Atlantic Ocean. The canal helped to open regions in the New York State to settlement, foster a population increase, and established New York City as the chief United States Port in the 19th century.
SignificanceThis lithograph is important in providing a view of the City of New York in the 1870s which helps to illustrate the position of New York City at the time as one of the world's most important ports.
