{"product_id":"13252","title":"1847 Map of the City of New York Shewing the Sewers Drains \u0026 Culverts","description":"\u003cp\u003eA remarkably rare and highly specialized map documenting the underground infrastructure of mid nineteenth century Manhattan, this Map of the City of New York Shewing the Sewers Drains \u0026amp; Culverts 1847 provides a fascinating visual record of the city’s rapidly evolving sanitary and engineering systems during a transformative period of urban growth. Prepared under the direction of James Guffin for the Croton Aqueduct Board, the map reflects New York’s growing efforts to modernize drainage, sewerage, and public health infrastructure as population density and commercial development accelerated throughout lower Manhattan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Growth of Manhattan’s Sewer and Drainage Network\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map depicts much of Manhattan below approximately 42nd Street in extraordinary detail, identifying streets, wards, public and private sewers, drains, and culverts through a carefully coded system explained within the decorative title cartouche. Existing underground infrastructure is traced throughout the city grid, revealing the extent to which sanitation and drainage planning had become essential to the functioning of the expanding metropolis. Particularly striking is the contrast between the dense urban fabric of lower Manhattan and the still developing street grid farther north, offering an important snapshot of New York during a period of transition from mercantile port city to modern industrial metropolis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Croton Aqueduct Board and Public Health Reform\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued only a few years after the completion of the Croton Aqueduct system, the map belongs to a critical era in the history of New York public works and urban planning. The Croton Aqueduct Board played a central role not only in supplying fresh water to the city, but also in addressing the mounting sanitation crises associated with overcrowding, contaminated water, flooding, and disease outbreaks such as cholera. Maps such as this were practical engineering tools intended for municipal administration and infrastructure management rather than broad public distribution, contributing substantially to their rarity today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eRarity of the Map\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRare in both the market and institutional collections, we were unable to locate any recorded public auction or dealer sales for this map. Only two confirmed institutional examples could be identified, held respectively by the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Libraries. The apparent absence of market records strongly suggests that surviving examples are exceptionally scarce, particularly in complete and well preserved condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New World Cartographic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43160234491965,"sku":"13252","price":2800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0390\/9705\/files\/13252a.jpg?v=1778260208","url":"https:\/\/nwcartographic.com\/products\/13252","provider":"New World Cartographic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}