1871 Bishop Map of Brooklyn, New York

An extremely attractive example of William Bishop's 1871 map of the city of Brooklyn, New York. In the mid-19th century, fueled by the advent of the steam ferry, which made crossing the east River practical, Kings County experienced a massive population burst. Wealthy and poor alike were quick to abandon the dirty and claustrophobic Manhattan for the suburban lands just across the east River. In 1855 the communities of Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Bushwick and Williamsburg were consolidated by the State of New York into one large city, modern day Brooklyn. It was around this time that the term 'Kings County' began to fall out of popular usage in favor of 'Brooklyn'. By 1865, three years before this map was printed, Brooklyn had become the third largest city in America, following New York and Philadelphia. Here Brooklyn is revealed in the midst of this incredible development. Prospect Park, which was still being built, is shown, as is Greenwood cemetery. The street layout, mimicking the grid system of Manhattan, is shown in considerable detail. The map additionally attempts to identify important buildings, ferry crossings, bridges, train lines, and 'plank roads.' Also notes public buildings and lands such as the Lunatic Asylum, the Hospital, the Alms House, the Military Parade Grounds, the Marine Hospital and the Navy Yard. Manhattan appears in the lower left hand corner of the map. North is oriented to the lower left. The whole is surrounding by a decorative vine and leave border. This map was drawn by A. Brown of 47 Nassau Street, New York, for inclusion in William G. Bishops 1871 Manual of the City and Corporation of Brooklyn. Cartographically this map references and expands upon the 1846 map of Brooklyn surveyed and prepared by Richard Butt. Of note is the fact that this map, issued just years after Prospect Park's October 1867 completion, is one of the first maps to show Olmsted's design.