Central Park | New York | Vintage Map

€49,00

This historical map of Central Park from January 1, 1870, shows New York’s green oasis just eleven years after construction began—conceived by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a conscious response to the city’s increasing urbanization. The park was intended to provide residents of all social backgrounds with space for recreation and relaxation, embodying a democratic ideal that is still reflected in its open accessibility today.

The artfully colored map documents the park at an early, fascinating stage of development: visible are the now-vanished old, square Croton Reservoir as well as the larger new reservoir, a dense network of winding carriage paths (“drives”), numerous artfully named entrance gates such as “Hunter's Gate” or “Women's Gate,” and countless numbered landscape points.

As an example of 19th-century landscape architecture, the map stands for the emphasis on natural beauty and harmony with the surroundings. At the same time, it was part of a larger cartographic project to document the park’s development—an impressive testament to meticulous planning and execution.

Historical maps show traces of time and use, the intensity and nature of which vary depending on the map and its intended purpose. The offered print is a reproduction.

You can order the print in the indicated formats.
All maps are delivered unframed and packed securely. If a framed version is listed with the product dimensions and prices, you can also order it framed.

We strive to represent the colors as accurately as possible. However, due to different monitor and device settings (brightness, contrast, saturation), slight color variations may occur between the screen display and the print.