Browse Items (1396 total)

By the time of this map a bitter consolidation battle among smaller rail lines had resulted in the creation of New York Central in 1853. Then, under the leadership of aggressive presidents Erastus Corning and Cornelius Vanderbilt, NYC expanded into a…

Breakneck Ridge is located in the Hudson Highlands, directly across the river from Storm King Mountain. Its distinctive stony face was picturesque, albeit quarried for granite by the 19th century. It posed a major obstacle in plans to build a…

This poster is one of many "soil conservation charts" created by the US Department of Agriculture during the 1930s, specifically in response to conditions of drought and farming practices that had exacerbated the problem. In this instance, the Soil…

Photograph of iconic cast iron bridge in New York's Central Park was one of six created for an historical survey in 1984. The description reads: "Designed by Calvert Vaux, the Bow Bridge is one of the most prominently located and visible cast iron…

Designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, and completed in 1862, this 87-foot span was the second cast-iron bridge constructed in the US. Its likeness to the bow of a violinist or archer gave the structure its name. Stereoview taken probably not…

The title of this painting is paradoxical, since none of the trees depicted appear to be the fruiting varieties usually associated with commercial orchards. Nor is it entitled "Arboretum," a collection of species under a landscaping rubric. Instead,…

In 1853 after extensive study, the New York City Common Council approved a site surrounding the Croton Reservoir for a Manhattan park. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and designer Calvert Vaux were winners of a design competition, and in…

A great deal of historical interest attaches to this map. It shows the residences of important figures in the Transcendentalist movement: Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing, and Henry David Thoreau--whether living at Walden Pond or at his…

It’s possible that the flowers depicted in this still life are wild mountain lilies (Lilium auratum), also called the golden-rayed lily of Japan. Whatever the case, flowers’ size and colorful radials draw our attention inward—which is similar in…