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Press Contact:
Jake Lynn
The New-York Historical Society
212-873-3400, ext. 263
[email protected]
IMPRESSIONS OF NEW YORK: PRINTS FROM THE NEW-YORK
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS NOVEMBER 9
Showcases More Than 100 Images of New York City Growth and Evolution
Over 300 Years
NEW YORK, NY – As part of its 200th anniversary celebration, the New-York
Historical Society will present the exhibition Impressions of New York: Prints from the
New-York Historical Society. By picturing over 300 years of New York City’s dynamic
urban evolution, the exhibition presents more than 100 prints featuring the city’s dramatic
panoramic vistas, distinctive architecture, memorable triumphs and disasters as well as
many everyday occurrences that make up New York City’s unique character. The prints
will provide a snapshot of the city’s history from its colonial beginnings to the thriving
metropolis of today. The exhibit will be on view from November 9, 2004 through
March 20, 2005.
“Impressions of New York is a golden opportunity for the New-York Historical Society to
show the world a remarkable selection of prints that bring the story of New York City to
life,” said Louise Mirrer, President & CEO of the Historical Society.
The exhibit will feature panoramic vistas of New York City’s waterfront and waterways;
spectacular aerial views of Manhattan; representations of particular buildings, landmarks
and bridges; images of daily urban life and pictures of famous disasters as well as rebirth
and renewal of many of the city’s neighborhoods.
Works featured in the exhibition include:
“The Burgis View” (1717) a rare engraving done by John Harris of Lower
Manhattan and one of the earliest printed panoramas ever made of the city.
“New York from Brooklyn Heights” (1837) by William James Bennett shows a
spectacular view of New York from the earliest developed ‘outer’ borough,
contrasted with Lower Manhattan seen from 2 Montague Terrace, Brooklyn
Heights (1931) almost a century later depicts a more colossal 20th century
metropolis full of skyscrapers.
New York from the Steeple of St. Paul’s Church looking East, South and West
(1849) by Henry Papprill provides a breathtaking bird’s eye view, while John
Bornet’s prints from 1854 feature aerial views of Manhattan and along the coast
of Long Island.
Aerial woodcut view of Lower Manhattan by Yvonne Jacquette (2003) and a
dynamic mezzotint showing Times Square by Art Werger.
Starting in the 1820’s, skilled artists and printmakers began settling in New York City,
thereby transforming the city into an important American cultural capital and printing
center. Today, the city continues to provide a vibrant community for print publishers and
print aficionados alike.
“The New-York Historical Society holds one of the few extensive collections of city
prints, which are preserved for their artistic and historic significance and displayed to
allow today’s visitors to interpret them for insights on America’s past events, urban
growth and cultural achievement,” stated Dr. Mirrer. “This exhibition perfectly
compliments the Historical Society’s own bi-centennial celebration.”
Impressions of New York features some of the best printed images ever made to document
New York City. For instance, America’s famous lithographers Currier & Ives published
one of the first dramatic aerial views of the Brooklyn Bridge soon after its completion in
1883, which will be on display in the exhibit. An array of architectural prints of the
city’s distinguished buildings will also be shown, including Alexander Jackson Davis’s
lithograph of the first Merchants’ Exchange (1827) and Richard Estes’ 1971 etching of
the façade of the Little Singer Building in SoHo.
The exhibition is curated by guest curator Marilyn Symmes, who also authored the
associated book Impressions of New York: Prints from the New-York Historical Society
(304 pages including 170 illustrations; $50 hardcover, $35 soft cover), published by
Princeton Architectural Press. Ms. Symmes, an independent curator and art historian
based in New York City, specializes in museum collection research projects and
exhibitions on prints, drawings and graphic design.
The New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society, one of the country’s preeminent educational and research
institutions, is dedicated to presenting public programs and fostering research that reveal the
dynamism of history and its relevance in daily life. Founded in 1804, its mission is to explore
the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and serve as a national
forum for the debate and examination of issues surrounding the making and meaning of
history.
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