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 deliberate response to the city's increasing urbanization. The park was intended to offer residents of all social classes 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 in 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 emphasizes 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 careful planning and execution.

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

We strive to display the colors of our items as accurately as possible. However, due to different monitor and device settings (brightness, contrast, saturation), there may be slight color variations between the online display and the actual product.