The Port of New York: Bird's Eye View from the Battery, Looking South
Lyman Wetmore Atwater American
Charles Richard Parsons American
Publisher Currier & Ives American
Not on view
This aeriel view begins near the lower edge with Manhattan's Castle Garden fronting the Battery, backed by a large park with a broad adjacent road and paths filled with vehicles and pedestrians. Beyond we see the Hudson and East Rivers emptying into New York Harbor, with the Narrows and Bay in the distance. The water is filled with sail and steam powered vessels, underscoring the city's position as a leading port.
The New York firm of Currier & Ives grew from a printing business established by Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888) in 1835. Expansion led, in 1857, to a partnership with James Merritt Ives (1824–1895). The firm operated until 1907, lithographing over 4,000 subjects for distribution across America and Europe with popular categories including landscape, marines, natural history, genre, caricatures, portraits, history and foreign views. Until the 1880s, images were printed in monochrome, then hand-colored by women who worked for the company.
