1851 John Tallis City Plan or Map of New York City

One of the most decorative maps of New York City from the mid-19th century.

This is a beautiful example of John Tallis and John Rapkin’s 1851 decorative map of New York City. Covers the city from the Battery north as far as 42nd Street and includes Governor’s Island and parts of Brooklyn and Jersey City. Notes streets, piers, ferry lines, parks, and important buildings. Six beautifully engraved vignettes adorn the map. These include a view of New York from Williamsburgh, The Narrows from Fort Hamilton, City Hall, Custom House, a view of Brooklyn and a New York Streamer. The map is surrounded by an elaborate decorative border, which includes a coat of arms of the United States.

Tallis's city plans did not appear in all editions of his atlas and so have today become quite rare. Tallis prepared this map for inclusion in R. Montgomery Martin's Illustrated Atlas, And Modern History of The World.

Cartographer

John Tallis (November 7, 1817 - June 3, 1876) was an English map publisher and bookseller. Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, he worked in his father's Birmingham agency from 1836 to 1842. Around 1838, Tallis published a collection of London Street Views and entered into a partnership with his brother Frederick Tallis from 1842 to 1849. Tallis and Company also published the Illustrated Atlas of the World (1849). Also in 1849, Tallis traveled to New York City, where he established agencies in 6 American cities. After returning from New York, Tallis paid his brother £10,000 for his share of the business and subsequently operated as John Tallis and Company until 1854. By 1853, John Tallis and Company had agencies in 26 cities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada and employed over 500 people. On February 24, 1854, Tallis brought on a new partner, Ephraim Tipton Brain (1791 - 1876), forming the London Printing and Publishing Company. After a series of setbacks, however, Tallis had to sell his estate and by 1861 was declared bankrupt. Friends and former employees kept him afloat, but none of his 'various ambitious projects' proved lucrative. Tallis married Jane Ball on December 6, 1836, in Birmingham, and they lived together until she died in 1862. Tallis remarried on June 27, 1863, to Mary Stephens, with whom he had two children.   Further Details...

Source

Montgomery Martin, R., The Illustrated Atlas, And Modern History Of The World, (London) 1851.    

Condition

Very good. Minor toning and wear along original centerfold. Minor edge wear.