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.
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.
