Martin Lewis (1880-1962).
Mezzotint, 1919.
Edition 100, recorded impressions 55.
This is the only known impression printed on blue paper.
Signed in pencil, inscribed "imp."
Image size 10 1/2 x 13 7/8" (26.5 x 35.3 cm).
The Prints of Martin Lewis. A Catalogue Raisonne. Paul McCarron #38.
Very good condition, printed on blue/green paper.
A great view of lower Manhattan and Battery Park looking north up the Hudson River. The round building is Castle Clinton/Castle Garden. At the time it housed the New York Aquarium. The buildings behind include 17 Battery Place, large dark building on the left, the Woolworth Building and the Singer Building in the distance.
Castle Garden/Castle Clinton/West Battery Site has a long history. Originally built as a fort on an artificial island off Battery Park and named West Battery. Landfill added to the harbor during the third quarter of the nineteenth century brought Castle Garden onto the mainland of Manhattan. In 1815 it was renamed Castle Clinton in honor of the Mayor DeWitt Clinton. It opened as Castle Garden on July 3, 1824, and operated as a theater, opera house, and restaurant. On August 1, 1855, it became the Emigrant Landing, the nation’s first such entity. The New York Aquarium opened on December 10, 1896. The aquarium became part of the New York Zoological Society on October 31, 1902. Under the director Charles Haskins Townsend the collection of specimens was greatly increased attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. In early October 1941 the Aquarium was closed by Robert Moses who wanted to tear down Castle Garden to build a connection between New York and Brooklyn. Moses did not get permission to tear down Castle Garden. The Aquarium moved to the Bronx Zoo for several years before securing its current location in Coney Island.
The Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway, designed by Cass Gilbert and constructed between 1910 and 1913. Originally, the building was to be a 20-story office building and the new headquarters of the F. W. Woolworth Company. When completed, it was 60 stories and 792-feet tall, containing over 5,000 windows. The total construction cost was $13,500,000. It topped the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower. The Woolworth Building held the title of the “World’s Tallest Building” until 1930 when 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building were completed. The Woolworth is still one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States.
The Singer Building, was completed in 1908. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest building in the world. The building was 47 stories and was designed by Ernest Flagg. When it was completed, it became the headquarters of the Singer Manufacturing Company. The building was demolished in 1968 to make way for the World Trade Center and is the largest building intentionally razed.
