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Showing The Brooklyn Bridge and Elevated Train Lines
Striking hand-colored birdseye view of New York, Brooklyn and envrions by John Bachmann, published by Herman Bencke.
John Bachmann, one of the most prolific viewmakers of the 19th Century, presents a grand and extensive panorama of New York City. Centralized around the southern tip of Manhattan, the depiction offers a commanding perspective of the island. The Hudson and East Rivers are filled with a wide array of sailing vessels and ships, illustrating the bustling maritime activity of the era. The busy ports of New Jersey and Brooklyn frame the detailed architectural landscape of lower Manhattan. In stark contrast, the peripheral regions of the metropolitan area are portrayed as pastoral farmlands or undeveloped expanses.
The present view is relatively late in Bachmann's career, likely dating the late 1870s, when publisher Herman Bencke operated from Fulton Street. Notably, the Brooklyn Bridge is depicted, suggesting a period when its construction was underway but not yet completed; its building commenced in 1870 and the bridge was ultimately opened on May 24,1883.
The view is also unusual in its prominent depiction of the Elevated Train lines in Lower Manhattan. Four lines can be seen, with the Ninth Avenue Elevated being the most prominent in the foreground.
Other prominent locations such as Castle Garden, Battery Park, City Hall Park, Broadway, and Manhattan's burgeoning metropolitan scene are easily discernible.
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