Map of the Hudson River Showing Route of Day Line Steamers

“The Daylight Sail between New York and Albany is Nature’s Greatest ‘Movie.'” – Text, verso.

This lovely promotional brochure capitalizes on the popularity of cinema to encourage the audience to enjoy Nature’s Greatest Movie – a cruise along the Hudson River. A central map highlights the route in orange; departure from two points in Manhattan, stops along the way in places like Bear Mountain Park, West Point, Poughkeepsie, and Hudson, before finally arriving at the capital of Albany. Captioned still images along each side, presented as a film roll, offer a glimpse of the majestic sights. Text on the verso provides a description of the itinerary, divided into different ‘reels.’

The map was designed and produced by the Wendell P. Colton Company of New York on behalf of the Hudson River Day Line, the premier steamboat line on the river from the 1860s through the 1940s. The piece is undated, but a printer’s code in the lower left and the presence of the Alexander Hamilton (the newest vessel in the fleet) indicate a likely publication date of 1924.