1955 Sightseeing Bus Tours Pictorial View of Manhattan

A fun c. 1955 pictorial view of Manhattan produced by Manhattan Sightseeing Bus Tours. It captures the vibrancy and excitement of the city, which would be on full display at the sites visited by the tours.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the northwest, the view looks out over the lower half of Manhattan from about 82nd St. southwards, just including the American Museum of Natural History. New York City landmarks, including famous skyscrapers, hotels, bridges, tunnels, and neighborhoods, are presented, including the 'old' Penn Station (demolished in 1963). Human figures also appear, including a stock broker on Wall Street and artists in Greenwich Village. Surrounding the view are illustrations of neighborhoods and landmarks, including Grant's Tomb and Coney Island in Brooklyn. At bottom are photographs of a temple in Chinatown visited by the tour and one of the buses employed by the company. The verso includes images and texts explaining the company's ten tours, some of which combined with boat trips to the Statue of Liberty and others that ranged as far north as Harlem and Morningside Heights.

Publication History and Census

This view was produced by Manhattan Sightseeing Bus Tours, Inc. It is undated, but from context, it can be presumed to date from the early-mid 1950s, particularly the inclusion of the United Nations complex along the East River (completed October 1952), which is advertised as the 'newest tour in New York.' Although the OCLC includes a later brochure by Manhattan Sightseeing Bus Tours, Inc. (72901283), held by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, we are unaware of examples of this edition in any institutional collections.