1832 Map of the City of New York with the Latest Improvements
By: Humphrey Phelps
Date: 1932 (dated) New York
Dimensions: 17 x 20 inches (43.18 x 51 cm)
A very fine example of an early edition of Phelps's packet map of New York City. Dated 1832, this antique map of New York City is one of only a few known examples from the early 1830s. The map was published from 1830 to 1841 at which point the map became outdated due to the rapid growth of of the city northward.
The remarkable early-19th century map of New York City is presented color-coded by ward with all streets, parks, boat slips and piers numbered or named. Developed city blocks are shaded in, presenting the extent of population within Manhattan at the time of printing. The neighborhoods presented within the boundaries of this map include the Financial Districts, Battery Park, Tribeca, Soho, Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, Little Italy, Chinatown, Chelsea, and Midtown.
On either side of the map reference keys help locate government buildings, museums, markets, hospitals, and a wide array of churches. With over eighty places of worship for Protestant, Presbyterian, Baptist, Reformed Dutch, Friends (Quakers), Methodist, Roman Catholic, and Jews, this map reflects the diversity of religions observed by some of the early 19th century residents of New York City.
Humphrey Phelps was an American book publisher, and maker of broadsides and maps. Born in Connecticut in 1799, he eventually moved to New York and published many works in cooperation with other well-known publishers and printers such as Horace Thayer, Edward Ensign, Thomas Fanning, Charles Magnus, and George Walker to name a few. His work is most commonly found as packet maps such as this one, designed for for emigrants and tourists throughout America.
Condition: This map is in B+ condition with bold colors on fairly clean paper. Originally issued folded, this example has been flattened with all fold separations expertly repaired on the verso.
Inventory #12494
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