"Novum Amsterodamum", Montanus/Ogilby

One of the earliest prints of New York City. The view shows the small Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, located on the southern tip of Manhattan. The Dutch first settled in the area in 1626 after purchasing the island from the Indians for $24. This view is thought to be engraved from an original drawing by Laurens Hermansz Block, a Dutch artist who visited New York in 1650 aboard the merchant vessel Lydia. Viewed from the harbor, it depicts the settlement with a few wooden buildings, a large church and a windmill. In 1664 New Amsterdam was captured by the British and renamed New York, in honor of James, the Duke of York. In the accompanying text, Ogilby describes the town in 1670; now with around four hundred houses protected by James-Fort. On a full sheet of English text and accompanied by the adjoining text sheet and a photocopy of another containing the beginning of the description.

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Condition: A+

Fine sharp impression. The two original text sheets have been joined with archival tape.