Bird's eye view of Boston

Add to My Favorites

Bird's eye view of Boston

Item Information

Title:
Bird's eye view of Boston
Description:
John Bachmann, a German immigrant, was one of the earliest and finest producers of urban bird’s eye views. During his career, he published two views of Boston – one in 1850 and the other in 1877. In this early version, Bachmann viewed the city from the southwest, looking directly at the Public Garden and the Common, with the remainder of the downtown greatly diminished by perspective. While various railroads appear along the edges of this image, the bustling harbor, filled with many ships, occupies the upper center portion of the drawing. Such a perspective highlights the city’s pride in its most prominent public spaces, but it also underscores the importance of shipping to the city’s economy during the first half of the 19th century.
Creator:
Bachmann, John, fl. 1849-1885
Name on Item:
drawn from nature and on stone by J. Bachmann.
Date:
1850
Format:
Maps/Atlases
Location:
Boston Public Library
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center
Collection (local):
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Collection
Subjects:
Boston (Mass.)--Aerial views
Places:
Massachusetts > Suffolk (county) > Boston
Extent:
1 view ; 47 x 70 cm.
Terms of Use:
No known copyright restrictions.
No known restrictions on use.
Publisher:
New York : J. Bachmann
Language:
English
Notes:
Entered according to an Act of Congress in the year 1850 in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York.
Notes (exhibitions):
Exhibited: "Boston & Beyond: A Bird’s Eye View of New England" organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, 2008.
Exhibited: "Boston in the Gilded Age: Mapping Public Places" organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, 2012-2013.
Identifier:
06_01_001849
Call #:
G3764.B6A3 1850 .B3
Barcode:
39999058992874