Rare, Early View of Brooklyn

"Brooklyn. N.Y. 1854",

This impressive bird's-eye view of Brooklyn was created by Benjamin Franklin Smith, Jr., a native of Maine who went into the print publishing business with three of his brothers in Boston and New York. From 1848 to 1855, the brothers issued a series of large folio lithographs of cities from throughout the eastern half of the U.S. Benjamin, the youngest sibling and the artist in the family, drew twelve of the views in the series, including this one of Brooklyn. He was mentored by artist Edwin Whitefield from an early age, but relations between Whitefield and the Smith family later deteriorated when the Smiths began competing with Whitefield with their own publishing company. Reps states that Benjamin "possessed artistic skills of a very high order, clearly surpassing those of Whitefield." In addition to the splendid artistry of the views, the Smith brothers employed some of the best craftsmen to lithograph and print the views, resulting in prints that are "the best work of its kind."

This view depicts Brooklyn from the west. In the foreground is a bustling East River with numerous ships, rowboats, and steamboats. Lithographed by William Wellstood and Henry Peters and published by Smith, Fern & Co. The full sheet measures 43.75 x 28.75".

References: Reps (Views) pp. 206-208.

Condition: B+

There are several expertly repaired tears that extend 1.5" to 8" into image -- primarily in the sky. There are also some small abrasions in bottom margin with minor loss of some of the imprints and publication information below the view. Professionally backed in Japanese tissue due to the fragile nature of the paper on which it was printed.