1867 (undated)
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Description
A scarce map of New York City s Upper West Side, including the southern half of Central Park, issued in 1867 by Matthew Dripps. This is likely the earliest obtainable specific map of the Upper West Side, predating the maps of Egbert Vielé (1868), John Bute Holmes (1874), and Herman Knickerbocker Vielé (1879). Moreover, as the map predates most major development on the Upper West Side, its ichnographic qualities - showing the layout of numerous individual buildings - are of the utmost historical significance. For example, no doubt one of these homes was where Edgar Allen Poe (84th and Broadway) composed
The Raven. Coverage extends from West 91st Street to 59th Street and from 5th Avenue to the Hudson River. Cartographically, this map is based upon the 18th century farm surveys of John Randel Jr. (1787 - 1865) and Blackwell, with updates and revisions by the civil engineer John F. Harrison (1824 - 1891).