Titled “Panorama of the Great Metropolis,” this month’s featured map actually consists of three maps and two bird’s-eye views. The maps shows the city of New York, the city of Brooklyn, and the Hudson River, while the views and illustrations provide images of New York City, including tourist attractions such as Union Square and the Latting Conservatory. Although this piece isn’t dated, it’s likely that it was used to promote  the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, a World’s Fair held in New York City in 1853.

Panorama of the great metropolis. Phelps, Fanning & Co. ca. 1850s. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

Click here to view detail of the bird’s-eye view of New York.

Click here to view detail of the New York Crystal Palace.

Interested in seeing more maps? You can view the BHS map collection anytime during the library’s open hours, Wed.-Fri., from 1-5 p.m. No appointment is necessary to view most maps. Our cataloged maps can be searched through BobCat and our map inventories through Emma.

Map of the Month is part of a project to catalog our map holdings, funded through the Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Collections program. If you would like to help us do more of this kind of work with our exciting map holdings, donate here.