1869 Bishop Map of Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn-bishop-1869$650.00
Title
Map of the Consolidated City of Brooklyn.
1869 18 x 23 in (45.72 x 58.42 cm)
1869 18 x 23 in (45.72 x 58.42 cm)
Description
An extremely rare example of William G. Bishop's pocket map of the city of Brooklyn, New York. In the mid 19th century, fueled by the advent of the steam ferry, which made crossing the East River practical, Kings County experienced a massive population burst. Wealthy and poor alike were quick to abandon the dirty and claustrophobic Manhattan for then suburban lands just across the East River. In 1855 the communities of Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Bushwick and Williamsburg were consolidated by the State of New York into one large city, modern day Brooklyn. It was around this time that the term 'Kings County' began to fall out of popular usage in favor of 'Brooklyn.' By 1865, Brooklyn had become the third largest city in America, following New York and Philadelphia. Here Brooklyn is revealed in the midst of this incredible development. Prospect Park appears in all of its glory. Greenwood cemetery is shown with good interior detail. The street layout, mimicking the grid system of Manhattan, is shown in considerable detail. Attempts to detail important buildings, ferry crossings, bridges, train lines, and 'plank roads.' Also notes public buildings and lands such as the Lunatic Asylum, the Hospital, the Alms House, the Military Parade Grounds, the Marine Hospital and the Navy Yard. Manhattan appears in the lower left hand corner of the map. North is oriented to the lower left. The whole is surrounding by a decorative vine and leave border. This map was drawn by A. Brown of 47 Nassau Street, New York, for inclusion in William G. Bishop's 1869 Manual of the City and Corporation of Brooklyn. Cartographically this map references and expands upon the 1846 map of Brooklyn surveyed and prepared by Richard Butt and earlier variants of the Brown map used for Bishop's predecessor McCloskey's Brooklyn Manual.
Cartographer
William Bishop (fl. c. 1855 - 1877) was the on-and-off city clerk of Brooklyn from about 1860 to the early 1870s. Bishop's primary opponent for the position was newspaperman Henry McCloskey. One of the duties of the city clerk was to publish an annual report detailing the government, progress, urban planning and development of the city. The resulting Manual of the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn was published each year of Bishop's tenure as city clerk. The first Brooklyn Manual was published in 1855 following the consolidation of the city. The Manual was published under various names and in various forms until 1888.
Condition
Very Good condition. Minor discoloration on original folds. Left margin extended.
References
New York Public Library Map Div. 01-1836 (Butt Map). Brooklyn Collection, Brooklyn Public Library, Document 51. Bulletin of the New York Public Library, Vol 4, 1902, Page 86.