1933 Freedman Bird's-Eye View SuperVue Map of New York City Promoting the Hotel Edison

This is a spectacular 1933 edition of the Edward V. Spofford / Samuel Freedman bird's-eye 'Supervue' map of New York City published to promote the Hotel Edison. Despite being issued at the height of the Great Depression, this view highlights New York City's resilience, prosperity, and multicultural dynamism.

A Closer Look

The view looks northwards on Manhattan from a presumptive point high above Governor's Island. Coverage stretches as far as Van Cortlandt Park, thus including much of the Bronx and parts of adjacent Queens, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Red overprinting highlights the Hotel Edison, the Hotel Westbury, and 5 different routes out of the city. Important buildings appear in profile. Among them are bridges, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more. Neighborhoods are labeled, including Greenwich Village, Little Italy, Chelsea, the Financial District, and the Theatre District. This last area, the Theater District, is further detailed via an inset in the lower left, in which specific theaters are named. Along the Hudson, passenger piers are labeled according to the carrier that operated them: White Star, Red Star, Cunard, Hudson River Night Line, etc. An index appears to the right and below the view. The verso offers an array of city-focused facts and trivia, as well as pointers regarding sightseeing highlights.

The Hotel Edison

The Hotel Edison opened at 228 West 47th Street in New York City in 1931 and is still operational today. It was the first Art Deco hotel in the Theater District, and when it opened, it could accommodate 1,000 guests on 26 floors. The Hotel Edison has become a part of New York City's pop culture and operated a Broadway theater out of its ballroom on two separate occasions. Parts of the hotel have been featured in the TV shows 'Seinfeld' and 'Sex and the City', and the movies The Godfather and Birdman.

Publication History and Census

The view is the work of Edward V. Spofford, printed and published by Samuel Freedman. The present example is the 1933 edition. It is distinguishable from the first edition because it lacks Spofford's signature in the lower right. Freedman maintained the copyright throughout the view's print run. The present example was published in 1933, as can be seen on the verso. Multiple editions followed until about 1940, most on glossy paper and reasonably common. 11 examples of the Supervue are cataloged in OCLC, none of which appear to be the same as the present edition.