A Christmas Map of Manhattan
$1,200.00
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
1 in stock
Description
This rare mid-century pictorial map highlights the abundance of cheer and festive activities enjoyed by residents and visitors of New York during Christmas. Rather rudimentary street plans of Manhattan are adorned with lovely illustrated vignettes that capture both the eye and the spirit of the season. Thirty-two different places and events are depicted and described in the accompanying legend. These include icons like the glittering Rockefeller Center, the lighting of the Christmas Tree by the mayor, and ice-skating in Central Park. There are also lesser-known entries, indicative of the era – ‘swinging’ Santa in Harlem, eels and ‘other Mediterranean tidbits’ for sale in Little Italy, and dispensing good cheer in the Bowery. The festive spirit even extends into the compass rose!
The map was published by the General Drafting Company, Inc. of New York as a Christmas card for its clients and prospective customers. Sadly unattributed to any author and undated, but the style and content reflect the characteristic post-war optimism of c. 1950, and the WorldCat entry notes a date of 1949. Only two institutions show holdings – the Newberry Library and the Library of Congress.
Map Details
Publication Date: c. 1949
Author: General Drafting Company, Inc.
Sheet Width (in): 19.50
Sheet Height (in): 13.10
Condition: A
Condition Description: Scarce unfolded example, color printed on a single-sided sheet. Near fine condition. Acquired directly from the archives of the publisher.
$1,200.00
1 in stock