New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-30
+, STORY OF THE HUDSON
IN PRINTS And MAPS.
Collection from Time of Hudson and
Fulton to Date an Lemon Library.

date Is illustrated In striking by exhibit
ton OF prints OF all kinds-engravings. etchinss'
photographs and even 1ithographs--which was
opened last week at the Lenox branch of the New
York Public Library In the $50 pictures shown
the lover of prints trace the history OF print
ing and engraving from the seventeenth century,
the architect may study the development of Anaerf-
can design from the squat houses of the Dutch TO
the great towers of wealthy Gotham, the historian
may collect facts enough to write an interesting II
not complete, chrOnice of Manhattan Island, and
even the engineer OF naval construction may OBJ
serve 10 his satisfaction how much he has gained
In efhci.rcy since the days Of James III.
Protests have been made from time TO time
against the destruction Of the Palisades Tor COM
merciaI purposes 1t is the object OF the Ienox
exhibition as u part % the Hudson-Fuiton celebra-
ton to interest New Workers I'm the past history of
the river often called the American Rhine, but
simply called by many who know about rivers inc
only and original Hudson Henry Hudson and
Robert Fulton the one who found and named the.
river the other who uavfgated 1t with the ClerH1ont
are represented of course I'm the exhibit but their
divisions. especially that dealing with Hudson on
account Of the lack OF material, are necessarily
small. The third division Includes more tnan Two
thirds Of all the pictures shown and Is devoted ex-
clusively to the Hudson River. only one picture
that of the Jersey ferry where Washington landed
in New York-faing TO show the river ITSELF But
that one exception Is pernnssioie' TOT inns
was when not city pavement but water would
have shown before the door OF the battered frame
ferry house.
All known portraits of Hudson are based upon
the painting in the city Hall generally attributed
to Pulaski. but the authenticity OF which Is denleo
by those who point out that Pulaski and hudsoh
were not contemporaries and by others attributed
TO Paul Van Sommeren This IS the conjecture OF
Benson ]. Losing. who declares that In such an
event the City Hall picture may be reliable after
all and not purely fictitious merely traditional
These and pictures Of the and West India Com
pany flags and various unimportant data concerning
Hudson make up the first division.
FULTON AS AN ARTIST.
In the Fulton exhibit devoted TO the inventor and
the steamboat number OF rare prints lent
20 the library by Seymour Dunbar. More than a
score of engravings copied from Vests portrait of
Fulton and from each other are shown In the
cases. IL is a curious thing that IN the earliest
engravings Fulton's submarine torpedo exploding
a ship may be seen in the background a little
later this vas replaced by miniature Clermont
and later still FutOn's Demalogus. the first
steam warshlp. appears in the perspective Full
ton Is also made much OF as an artist, and various
bloodthirsty Autographs Of his are shown Among
these are such titles THE Murder Of Lucinda. q"
"Cornwalliss Surrender 20 Washington. Cruelty
Presiding Over the Prison Ship Cesar Passing
the Rubicon." Final Resignation of Prejudice
aud "Hesper Appearing to Columbus In Prison
There also prints Of Fuiton's other Inventions
besides the steamboat numerous old engravings OF
which are included. His cast iron squeduct and
submarine torpedo are fully Illustrated
Steamboats, prior TO Fulton's is an interesting
section covering the inventions OF Fitch. HuIls.
Evans. and others even earlier. The Jersey ferry
boat when IT had guard rails and passengers sat
the deck and swung thar LEGS over the water.
the Fulton Ferry and other New York ferrtss are
ali illustrated Two statues OF Denis Papin by
Anne Millet shown; also a thrilling race be-
tween two Hudson River boats. among steam
boats Subsequent 20 Fulton"
The third section THE Hudson River
from New York CITY tho Source" Beginnipg at
k..~F.a Al
trip Up the river turning aside into the East River
for short distance 20 notice the South street wa
terfront. then back again. around the Battery and
up stream The prints range in date from copper
engravinEs of the seventeenth century to photo
graphs Of this year
Bedloe's Island is shown In three engravings.
slightly varying copies OF the original There are
two ORIGINAL drawings OF New York Bay taken
from the Emmett collection in I77s. and from Lord
Rawdon's collection there Is 'an original sketch by
English officer on board OF one OF Howe's feet
while at anchor In Lower Bay previous 20 IandIne,
Long Island" Castle William and the Bay
when what is now the Aquarium Was separated
from the mainland shown in one print Of a
series Of several exhibition done IN aauatint for
the Society OF Iconophiles OF New York by G. r
Mislatz from quaint pictures Stanordshire ware
In the early eos Of the nineteenth century
Among the views of Staten Island is an ex-
taordinary one. evidently real estate boom cir-
eular. issued in 1896. showing New Brighton well
built up. and announcing tyssnty-uiuuts trip. by
ferry 10 New York
Frank Weltenkamf, curator OF the print depsrt-
ment. found considerable difficulty. he SAYS in dis
tnSuishns the originals from copies Many of tho
leading engravers were subjected at times TO all
sorts OF libel on their work. but very often the copy
is an Improvement. differing in some details w |
H. Bartlett an English artist OF the SOS and +o's
among his numerous Illustrations numbered a |
series OF plates which appeared In America IIlus
uated' with the text by n. p. Willis was copied |
repeatedly SO that the same view is frequently |
shown, rendered by various engravers with minor /
changes Among the earler engravers who worked |
on steel In the United States James snillie IS nar
ucularly well known. and In the exhibition his |
methods can be traced In such plates "a "Neu, yor
from Bedloe's Island OF which four ara shown
To-day steel engraving Is supplanted by the /
camera fact which the exhibition illustrates later
on In the imaginary Journey
WHEN NEW YORK WAS A FI,EpGIINs
The section includes various views of New York. |
seen as ona approaches the lower mart OF thu
island The most famous Is the first printed /
view which appeared in Joost Hartgerss descrip-
ZION or virginia. New Netheriand and New Eng
land. published "a Dutch I'm New Amsterdam !, |
loaL This represents the village IL appeared |
about fifteen years before. The yisscher man n, |
other towns added. is shown. The view nuhIIxbs,5
In Van der poncks Description OF New Na,bar
land. of le5e, copied from the Visscher man OF \
lssoi the Montanus view of about 1851 which again
Is remarkably similar to the Block plan naintinge
which not engraved until The so.,s,,. IS
Ieonophiles had II done In recent years hv sians,-
j." Smith: the Allan view. Of 1919 and various 4
others lead gradually into the eighteenth c.n,uru
Among the views of the eighteenth century a Il
few stand out with special prominence. Amon. |
these is the Burgis view of r7lT of which "A norton
showing the Brooklyn ferry at that time is In 1
alta e.afnr aUIa