The depiction is divided into 3 parts. The top left shows students working in “The School of Mines.” The top right shows students carrying books (and walking sticks) passing before a classically inspired marble column building with the caption reading “A Bit of Old & New.” The bottom and main image is entitled “The Madison Avenue Front.” It shows many well-dressed figures and horse drawn carriages in the street before a large turreted building. This was the site of Columbia’s third home at Madison Avenue and East 49
th
Street.

15 ¾ x 11 ¼ inches, sheet.
Hand colored wood engraving.
Very good condition.

In the 19
th
century before photography became commonplace newspapers were illustrated with wood engravings. There were arguably two newspapers vying for number one status among readers, Harper’s Weekly Newspaper and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News. Leslie was an American engraver and publisher whose experience in the newspaper trade enabled him to publish his own very successful paper. Like his competition Harper’s Weekly, Leslie’s paper kept readers up to date with sensationally worded accounts of natural disasters, technological advances, politics, explorations and discoveries as well as home and society matters. The magazine employed illustrators who would travel and sketch any major event. These sketches were then translated onto wood blocks and published
.
These beautiful images are invaluable for the historical information they offer and the glimpses into the daily life of the period.

11 x 16 inches sheet size.

Hand colored wood engraving. Excellent condition.

included in a fabulous folding collection of 23 graphically powerful views of famous New York City landmarks. The sites include the US Custom House, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Herald Square, Times Square, College of the City of New York, Columbia University, the New York Public Library, the New York Stock Exchange, Grant”s Tomb, National League Baseball Park, the Post Office, the Woolworth Building, New York Harbor, City Investing Building, Times Building, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Hotel Belmont, St. Patrick’s  Cathedral, Fifth Avenue and the Brooklyn Subway. A selection of the views is shown here.

Address cover shows a man with a megaphone speaking to tourists packing an elongated touring car. The back cover shows the Statue of Liberty and Harbor. The inside of cover includes note that begins “Dear Mother and Brother” confirming that the writer has arrived at his destination.

Each view measures approximately 4 1/4 x 6 inches.
Back cover disbound, but the interior postcards are in excellent condition.