1942 Ask Mr. Foster Pictorial City Map or Plan of New York City

This is a rare c. 1942 Ask Mr. Foster pictorial city map or plan of New York City. The map depicts the region from New Jersey to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens and from Fordham University in the Bronx to the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn. Numerous Manhattan landmarks are illustrated in profile, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Columbia University, and Yankee Stadium. All six of Manhattan's most well-known bridges are also shown in profile, including the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. Both the Midtown Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel are also labeled. An inset map situated in the upper left corner marks twenty-three different restaurants, department stores, and other Manhattan locations, all of which correspond with numbers on the large central map. Clubs, dance halls, shops, and one department store (Lord and Taylor) are listed along the map's left and right sides and each location's address and a short description are also provided.

Census and Publication History

This map was created by the Ask Mr. Foster travel agency and was published c. 1942. Although undated, the presence of an advertisement for War Bonds combined with the fact the LaGuardia Airport is labeled in Queens allows us to date this map as c. 1942, as this is the earliest date that both of these could have been present on a map. The map is rare. Although probably printed in quantity initially, we have been able to trace no other surviving examples.