The Eno collection of New York City views

Collection History

The major source for the images in this digital presentation-the Phelps Stokes Collection of American historical prints and early views of American cities-came to the Library in 1930 as a gift of the architect and historian Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (1867-1944). It includes more than 800 prints, drawings, and maps produced over a period of four centuries, from the earliest European discoveries of the West Indian islands through the 19th century. The selection also includes some 30 images from the assemblage of New York City views donated to the Library in 1922 by Amos F. Eno (1836-1915) and a few items from the collection of American historical prints accumulated by Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet (1828-1919) and presented to the Library in 1896. Lastly, a few other items not found in these collections also appear, such as an 1814 view of New Archangel, Alaska from the Rare Book Division, and the Hudson River Portfolio of 1820 views, from the Spencer Collection.

Background

The images in this collection, comprising an incomparable visual narrative of the development of the Americas and especially the territory that became the United States, offer a rich visual resource for the student of American history, architecture, urban growth, costume, transportation, and much else. The documentation of the rise of New York City is particularly strong.

The Print Collection of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs holds the works from The Phelps Stokes Collection, the Eno Collection of New York City Views and the Emmet Collection. The basis for the selection of images in this presentation, Gloria Gilda Deák's 1988 monograph, Picturing America, is an extensive catalog of the holdings of American historical prints in the Print Collection and other divisions of the Library, with essays and notes not included in this digital version.

Related Resources

Deák, Gloria Gilda. Picturing America, 1497-1899: Prints, Maps, and Drawings Bearing on the New World Discoveries and on the Development of the Territory That Is Now the United States. (1988)

Stokes, I. N. Phelps and Daniel C. Haskell. American Historical Prints: Early View of American Cities, etc., from the Phelps Stokes and Other Collections. (1933)

Collection Data

Description
The Eno Collection, donated to the New York Public Library in 1922 by Amos F. Eno, contains over 700 views and comprises a pictorial documentation of the history of the city of New York. Illustrating the city's growth in all its phases, the collection includes maps, panoramic scenes of the city and its harbor, as well as images of architecture, houses of worship, streets, landscapes and peoples, dating from the seventeenth to early twentieth centuries. Eno’s holdings additionally document important historic events, celebrations, cultural activities, and fires.
Names
Eno, Amos F., 1836-1915 (Collector)
Library locations
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection
Shelf locator: MEZN Eno
Topics
New York (N.Y.)
Buildings
New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
Genres
Prints
Architectural drawings
Maps
Aerial views
Notes
Citation/reference: The Eno collection of New York City views by Frank Weitenkampf, L.H.D., is the authoritative reference source on this collection.
Citation/reference: Eno
Biographical/historical: Amos F. Eno (1836-1915) was born in New York and lived in his family home at Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street in Manhattan. He resisted the business development of lower Fifth Avenue and bought adjacent property to preserve the residential character of his neighborhood. His wholesale jobbing firm dissolved a few years after his father built the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Afterwards, he entered the Civil War with the Seventh Regiment (New York) and became a colonel in the Union Army. Eno amassed a collection of outstanding and rare prints depicting the history of New York that reflects his engagement with and appreciation for his city. -- Editorial article published in the New York Times, Oct. 23, 1915 quoted in Weitenkampf, Frank, L.H.D. The Eno Collection of New York City Views. New York: 1925.
Type of Resource
Still image
Cartographic
Identifiers
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 22f5f390-c5f0-012f-2796-58d385a7bc34
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