New York, Joseph Koelher, 1903.
645 x 975 mm.
Superb original lithograph printed in colors of the panoramic view of New York in 1903. John W. Reps, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America, 2772.
The lithographed view in itself measures 545 x 935 mm.
This spectacular panorama represents the Brooklyn Bridge, designed by John A. Roebling, and the Lower East Side of Manhattan visible from the Brooklyn bank. This lithograph shows the turmoil of the American metropolis that became, at the beginning of the 20th century, the most important industrial city of the United States and the first port worldwide.
The Brooklyn bridge, crossing the East River, was completed in 1883. It was built by two men: a father and his son. John A. Roebling , the father, conceived the innovative architecture of the bridge, and when he died, his son Washington Roebling ended the construction. When it was created, the bridge was the first suspension bridge with steel cables. It was also the longest suspension bridge worldwide, until the Williamsburg bridge was built in New York in 1903, date at which this lithograph was printed.
The caption at the bottom gives engineering information such as: the width of the bridge, the total length of carriage-way, the diameter of cables, etc.
There was a second edition of this view in 1916, but the size of the lithograph was less large (395 x 586 mm).
Joseph Koehler was a famous lithographer from New York between 1890 and 1911. His printing company was specialized in lithographs, postcards and chromolithographs.
Rare and exceptional chromolithograph representing a panoramic view of New York City and the Brooklyn Bridge 20 years after its construction.
