91

JOSHUA H. BEAL (active 1860s-1870s) "Beal's Panoramic View of New York." A monumental 5-part panorama from the Brooklyn Bridge Tower de

JOSHUA H. BEAL (active 1860s-1870s)
"Beal's Panoramic View of New York." A monumental 5-part panorama from the Brooklyn Bridge Tower depicting Lower Manhattan. 1876.
Albumen prints, the overall image measuring 10¼x88¾ inches (26x225.4 cm.), the mount 14 1/8x92 3/8 inches (35.9x234.6 cm.).

Provenance
New York Bound Bookshop; to the Present Owner in 1986

Beal's view of New York City was shot in January 1876, after the photographer carried his heavy camera equipment, glass plate negatives, and tripod up the thirty flights of stairs in the Brooklyn Tower of the bridge. Beal exposed five negatives to create a composite photograph measuring more than seven feet long. The images provided a never-before-seen sweeping panorama of lower Manhattan's landmarks and commercial activity along the East River, including commercial signage and the four- and five-story buildings that then created the urban fabric of Lower Manhattan.

In the distance it is possible to find landmarks such as Trinity Church, the Western Union Building, St. Paul's Chapel, the new Post Office, and the Tribune Building (this building and Western Union buildings were the first "sky scrapers" in the city, towering at 10 stories and among the first to employ an elevator). Dominating the scene is the massive Manhattan Tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, which was completed in 1883.

Very few examples of this monumental image have survived. The collections of the New York Public Library, New York Historical Society, and the Library of Congress each hold a complete example, and we know of two complete and one three-part view in private hands.

Reproduced New York, An Illustrated History, 170-71.

  • Condition: LOT 91

    Joshual Beal's stunning 5-part panorama of lower Manhattan is overall in good condition, measuring more than 7 feet long with each of the 5 panels mounted to a period board. The print is impressively detailed with architectural carvings, signage, and window dressings visible throughout. The tones of the panels are overall consistent from one panel to the next, with the deep brown tones and textural highlights keeping this rare 19th century photographic panorama contrasty despite the warming and age-darkening and warming not uncommon in albumen prints of this age.

    Throughout the image area various minor period retouching is visible. Most notably in the second panel from the left a cool toned scuff is visible in upper portion of the background, just below the horizon line (visible in our catalogue image). As well as in the bottom of the second from the right panel where some faded retouching is visible in the water. A few scattered tears and cracks are visible throughout, largely sequestered to the far edges of the print. In the far left panel, four cracks extend from the far left edge of the print into the sky and water, leaving the subject of the photograph unaffected. At the right edge of this same panel two cracks extend from the seam connecting the first and second panel, one into the bottom water and the second slightly encroaching into the edge of a pier. Notably, a vertical line is visible extending from the lower edge to horizon line in the right of this same far left panel, displaying signs of aged period retouching.

    The print is mounted to it's original board which displays signs of ware associated with its age. Under the mat the edge of print is uneven with scattered tears and losses to the paper largely along the left side. On the left side the prior mentioned horizontal repaired tears are extending from the edge, as well as a piece of loss that's edge just barely extents into the image area. The right edges displays minimal loss and typical discoloration.

    Beal's 1876 panorama of Lower Manhattan are few, with full examples such as this being even rarer. Only a small handful known to exist today, largely in institutions, making them even rarer to come to market. This is a exceptional opportunity to own a stunning piece of New York history.


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May 8, 2025 12:00 PM EDT
New York, NY, US

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