1898 Wachsmuth/ Molitor Bird's Eye View map of New York City

This is a late 19th or early 20th century German chromolithograph bird's eye view of New York City, produced for use in schools. New York was not only one of the largest harbor cities in the world, but was also home to a burgeoning German immigrant community: it would have been a natural focus for a German audience. The 'East River Bridge' is beautifully depicted, and is labeled with that name, dating the piece prior to 1915 when the bridge was renamed 'The Brooklyn Bridge'. Governor's Island is shown, featuring Fort Jay and Castle Williams.

Castle Garden

Prominent in the foreground is Castle Garden, which between 1855 and 1890 was the primary immigrant processing center in the city until the 1892 opening of Ellis Island. Between 1896 and 1941 it was home to the New York City Aquarium, which is not indicated here: while this does not absolutely indicate a pre-1896 date for this view - indeed, Molitor did not begin work with Wachsmuth until 1898 - it certainly suggests that the source material originated prior to that change.

Glimpses of the Growing Metropolitan Region

Though the view is dominated by Manhattan Island, to the left and right Hoboken, Jersey City and Brooklyn are shown with some precision. Both the Hudson and the East River teem with sailing ships and steamboats, emphasizing the nautical focus of the city.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominate method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This view, though not signed, is attributed to artist Mathieu Molitor, who produced educational wall maps and views of this type - known as Schulwandbilder or Charakterbilder - for educational publisher F. E. Wachsmuth. It does not appear to be catalogued in OCLC; views of this type survive their school environments poorly, and are consequently scarce on the market.