1976 Gammarato Pictorial Map of Brooklyn, New York

Celebrating Brooklyn!

This is an unrecorded 1976 artist-signed pictorial map of Brooklyn, New York, drawn in July of 1975 by Joseph Gammarato for the Brooklyn Bicentennial Commission. The map celebrates all things Brooklyn and was issued to highlight Brooklyn's contributions to the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783).

A Closer Look

This artistic work is a combination of a map and a view. It is neither to scale nor geographically correct, but, nonetheless, coverage embraces roughly from the Brooklyn Bridge to Prospect Park, Gowanus, and Green-Wood Cemetery. Major landmarks, some historical, are noted, including the Fulton Street Ferry, BAM, Borough Hall, Plymouth Church, Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Gowanus Canal, the Lefferts Homestead, and more. It also notes key neighborhoods, including Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Red Hook, Fort Greene, and our own Bedford-Stuyvesant. The whole is surrounded by a border with additional focus on key buildings and key historical events - even the toll rates for the Brooklyn Bridge on opening day! There are copious annotations throughout featuring tidbits of Brooklyn history and local lore. The map is inscribed in pen by the author, Joseph Gammarato, to an unknown figure (possibly 'Walt Fleck', but the script is not readable)

Publication History and Census

The map was commissioned by the Brooklyn Bicentennial Commission in 1975. The Commission was formed in the 1970s to plan and coordinate events for the 1976 United States Bicentennial, focusing on the local and national significance of Brooklyn during the American Revolution, including the Battle of Brooklyn and the Wallabout Bay prison ships. We have been unable to trace the artist, Joseph Gammarato, or any other work attributed to him. This is the only known surviving example.

Condition

Very good. Laid down on archival tissue.