New York City County, and Vicinity

Map. Hand-colored lithograph. 25" x 17.5". This fantastic and rare map of New York City and its surrounding areas was originally prepared for the 1866 edition Valentine's "Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York," a richly illustrated collection of facts and statistics related to the city. It depicts Manhattan Island at the center from the Battery up to Spuvten Duyvil. Around Manhattan are the waterfront areas of Brooklyn, Astoria, Hoboken and Jersey City. An inset on the left side depicts New York - north of one hundred & thirty first. The map owes its wonderfully graphic quality to its vertical orientation, precise grid and finely shaded sections of the city. Overlaying the grid are the names and tracts of Manhattan's original land owners, as well as scattered individual buildings. Of note is a striking rendering of Central Park, and all of the city's parks, hand-colored to convey the park's organic beauty within the regular geometry of the city streets. In manhattan, where Columbia University now stands, the map notes a 19th century Lunatic Asylum. Hunter's Point, Astoria and Ravenswood in Queens are labeled and the Long Island Railroad line is noted. The map is copyrighted to 1860 and dated 1866 under the title. Bottom and right margins cropped to the neat line. Map is in good condition with minor wear along original folds. Green stains near top right quadrant. Mathew Dripps (-1896) was from Ireland. He became a prominent map publisher based in lower Manhattan and is remembered most for his maps of New York City. His maps are hard to find. This beautifully composed map would be an outstanding addition to any collection or home.…