1875 Bachman Bird's-Eye View of New York, Brooklyn, Jersey City and Hoboken

This is a c. 1885 John Bachmann chromolithograph bird's-eye view of New York City and its vicinity, including Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Hoboken. The work captures the city flourishing as a hub of commerce as it roared towards the absorption of its neighbors: Brooklyn and Queens. The harbor is busy with steamships and sailboats, and the railheads in Jersey City are depicted with trains steaming west - engines of the Industrial Revolution.

A Closer Look

The northeast-oriented view displays Manhattan at the center, with Central Park recognizable. In general, the city's distinctive architecture is accurately portrayed throughout, if exaggerated in height, a reference to the city's now famous verticality. Not only can Castle Garden and Battery Park be recognized, but also many of the city's churches and cathedrals, as well as municipal structures such as the City Hall Post Office (completed in 1880). The Manhattan Elevated Railroad, a precursor to the subway, can be discerned on both sides of the island.

The very prominent and exaggerated depiction of the Brooklyn Bridge emphasizes the wonder with which the world viewed the new bridge but also suggests that it may have been engraved prior to the actual completion of the structure. The bridge was open from 1883, but this view may have been drawn as early as the late 1870s, with structures in progress (such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the City Hall Post Office) portrayed based on prospective sketches. Governor's Island and Brooklyn can be seen to the east, while Williamsburg, Astoria, and Roosevelt Island appear in the background. The Brooklyn Naval Yard is recognizable along the East River. In the left foreground, Jersey City and Hoboken show explosive new growth upon the heights to their west. The view includes the two reservoirs, numbers 1 and 3, respectively, the latter having been completed between 1871 and 1874.

American Bird's-Eye City Views

The Bird's-Eye view industry emerged in the United States in the middle part of the 19th century and coincided with the commercial development of lithographic printing. Before the rise of lithography, the ability to own and display artwork in the home was largely limited to the extremely wealthy, but the advent of lithographic printing made it possible for everyone to own visually striking artwork. A robust trade developed in portraits of political leaders, allegorical and religious images, and city views.

City views were being produced in the United States as early as the 1830s, but the genre exploded after the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Bridging the gap between maps and pictures, most 19th-century American bird's-eye views presented cities to the public from high points. Some were imagined, but others were drawn from hot-air balloons or nearby hills. The presentation, combining high elevation, commercial interest, and new printing technology, created a uniquely American art form, as described by historian Donald Karshan,

Some print connoisseurs believe that it was only with the advent of the full-blown city-view lithograph that American printmaking reached its first plateau of originality, making a historical contribution to the graphic arts. They cite the differences between the European city-view prints and the expansive American version that reflects a new land and a new attitude toward the land.

The vogue for bird's-eye city views lasted from about 1845 to 1920, during which period some 2,400 cities were thus portrayed, some many times.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process uses multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Generally, a chromolithograph begins with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors are layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color can be blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda.

Publication History and Census

This view was drawn by John Bachmann; Reps dates the printing of the map by Herman Bencke to 1885. We are aware of two states of this view, one lacking the word 'copyrighted' above the title. We see no examples of this work cataloged in OCLC; despite this, it has appeared on the market from time to time.