Nelson, Catherine and E. Theodore
1943

Lot of three historical pictorial maps of Brooklyn communities

Lot of (3) Historical Pictorial Maps of Brooklyn: Flatbush, Fort Hamilton and Bay Ridge, and Gravesend in 1870

DESCRIPTION: One lot of three (3) historical pictorial maps of Brooklyn communities as they appeared in 1870, drawn by Catherine and E. Theodore Nelson and issued in the 1940s for George L. Clark, Inc., the real estate firm at 142 Avenue U, Brooklyn. Combining illustrated buildings, property owners' names, roads, and local landmarks, the maps reconstruct the villages before their transformation into densely developed urban neighborhoods.

The Flatbush sheet, titled "The Village of Flatbush as it was in the year 1870," identifies residences and their owners across an area encompassing portions of present-day Flatbush, Ditmas Park, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Its subtitle describes a compilation from "old and musty records, maps and surveys," emphasizing the historical research behind the pictorial treatment.

"The Villages of Fort Hamilton and Bay Ridge as they were in 1870" surveys the southwestern Brooklyn waterfront and adjoining countryside, including parts of present-day Dyker Heights. Roads, property holdings, and waterways establish the geography, while a soldier firing a cannon toward the Narrows supplies a playful reference to the area's military identity.

"The Village of Gravesend as it was in 1870" records another southern Brooklyn community, prominently featuring the Prospect Park Fair Ground and Race Course, illustrated with a horse and rider. The racecourse provides a distinctive reminder of the area's nineteenth-century recreational landscape.

These maps belong to a broader body of historical village maps created by the Nelsons. Issued as real-estate promotions, they used local history and recognizable family names to connect modern neighborhoods with their rural predecessors. Together, the three sheets combine property history, pictorial cartography, and commercial advertising.

E. Theodore Nelson (1897-1964) was born in Brooklyn to Swedish parents and attended Brooklyn Manual High School. He and his wife, Catherine H. Nelson (1914-2008), operated Nelson Studio in St. James, New York, on Long Island. Nelson Studio published numerous historical pictorial maps of Long Island and of the towns of Valley Stream, Manhasset, East Hampton, Flatlands, Flatbush, Bridgehampton and Southampton.

CREATOR: Nelson, Catherine and E. Theodore

PUBLICATION DATE: 1943

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States

BODY OF WATER: N/A

CONDITION: Very good. Clean. No issues.

COLORING: None

ENGRAVER:

SIZE: " x "

ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 89

PRICE: $300

ADD TO CART

This web site provides security by Rapid SSL

Similar items:

567	A General Map of the Northern British Colonies in America Scarce antique map of the British colonies in North America during the Revolutionary War. Dated August 14, 1776. Coverage includes Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, M . . .	Details	1776	Sayer--Robert-and-Bennett--John	A-General-Map-of-the-Northern-British-Colonies-in-America	Scarce antique map of the British colonies in North America during the Revolutionary War. Dated August 14, 1776. Coverage includes Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and the provinces of what is now Canada. Notes locations of American Indian tribes. <br></br> This map has been referred to as the "Beaver map" because of a prominent beaver in the title cartouche as well as some text related to a then unexplored portion of upstate New York: <div class="indenttextblock">"This vast tract of land which is the Antient Couchcachrage one of the four beaver hunting countries of the six nations is not yet surveyed."</div> </br> At very top is a second title: "The seat of war in the Northern Colonies containing the province of Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova-Scotia, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc.". <br></br> This map was originally one of six maps published by Sayer and Bennet in "The American Military Pocket Atlas; Being An Approved Collection of Correct Maps, Both General and Particular, of The British Colonies". David Rumsey notes that this is one of three maps in the atlas that were important to the mapping of the American Revolution. As Rumsey explains:<div class="indenttextblock"> "Nicknamed the 'Holster Atlas' because it was made for the use of British army officers. All maps in outline color, folded and bound into book with paper covered boards and quarter leather with "American Pocket Atlas" stamped in gilt on the spine."</div> </br> Watermarked with a shield containing a fleur de lis surmounted with a crown: at the bottom is "GR". Bottom attribution reads: London, Printed for Robert Sayer and John Bennett, Map and Seachart sellers No 53 Fleet Street, as the act directs, 14th Aug. 1776.,
1377	Early Pictorial Map of New Jersey Ocean Resorts and Railroads Interesting map evoking seaside dreams of an earlier age at the Jersey shore. Matted and framed pictorial map from 1885 to accompany the Pennsylvania Railroad Summer Ex . . .	Details	1885	Pennsylvania-Railroad	Early-Pictorial-Map-of-New-Jersey-Ocean-Resorts-and-Railroads	Interesting map evoking seaside dreams of an earlier age at the Jersey shore. <br></br> Matted and framed pictorial map from 1885 to accompany the Pennsylvania Railroad Summer Excursion routes publication. Size with frame 17" x 21". This old survivor shows numerous resorts, beaches, parks, coast and bays covered with decorative ship traffic heading in every direction, most of the vessels under sail or sail with steam assist. Lithograph. Includes New York City at top, Coney Island, Asbury Park, Manasquan, Barnegat, Atlantic City, Cape May, Philadelphia, Delaware Bay and River and Rehoboth Beach at bottom. Very decorative. $45 packing and shipping. <br></br> Railroad lines shown include: the Camden and Atlantic Railroad, West Jersey Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, New York and Long Branch R.R., the Cumberland and Maurice Railroad and many more. Shows little trains of four or five commuter cars with a steam engine puffing along ahead. The age of steam! Great for the man cave.
2504	Birdseye view of New York City Antique 19th century oblique-angle bird’s-eye view of New York City centered prominently on Manhattan. This original small folding map depicts the Brooklyn Bridge, the Peet compan . . .	Details	1879	Rogers--Peet-and-Company	Birdseye-view-of-New-York-City	Antique 19th century oblique-angle bird’s-eye view of New York City centered prominently on Manhattan. This original small folding map depicts the Brooklyn Bridge, the Peet company’s building on Broadway, hundreds of boats and ships (sail and steam) in the Hudson and East Rivers. Contains a key to 24 different points of interest including Castle Garden, Washington Square, Cooper Union, Central Park, and Long Island Sound. <br></br> The map was a promotional vehicle for the clothing company of Rogers, Peet & Co. Verso contains a "Strangers’ Guide to New York." Top margin and right margin with alpha-numeric symbols keyed to the map legend. <br></br> Drawn by J.W. Williams and copyrighted 1879 by Root & Tinker. Printed with Mather's inks. Folded brochure measures 3.0 x 5.5".
3589	Huge antique chart of New York Bay and Harbor A spectacular, large (48" high) antique nautical chart of New York Bay and Harbor from 1889. Beautiful hand coloring enhances the attractiveness of this scarce and fine engraving. . . .	Details	1889	U-S--Coast-and-Geodetic-Survey	Huge-antique-chart-of-New-York-Bay-and-Harbor	A spectacular, large (48" high) antique nautical chart of New York Bay and Harbor from 1889. Beautiful hand coloring enhances the attractiveness of this scarce and fine engraving. Two sheets professionally joined. <br></br> This chart was printed in 1889 from an electrotype copy of the original hand-engraved copper plate, a process the U.S. Coast Survey adopted around 1850. As a soft medium, copper plates could only withstand print runs of perhaps 200 copies before the plates wore down. To enable larger print runs, a mold of the original plate was created in wax or another soft medium. Then, using an electro-chemical process ( electrotyping ), the mold was coated with a metal layer, typically copper. Printers were then able to produce output from the new electrotype copper copy, while preserving the original. Electrotype copy number 3. <br></br> With the circular logo of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Tables of lighthouses and lightships. Two inset coastal elevation views. Scale 1/40,000. Chart number 369. Published August, 1889. Plate number 1987. Price when issued: 75 cents.
4909	Antique manuscript plat Queens, New York deBevoise One of a kind manuscript map ca. 1859 of a plat of land in the city of Newtown, borough of Queens, New York. Newtown was founded as Middenburgh by the Dutch in 1652. In the 17th . . .	Details	1859	Anonymous	Antique-manuscript-plat-Queens--New-York-deBevoise	One of a kind manuscript map ca. 1859 of a plat of land in the city of Newtown, borough of Queens, New York. Newtown was founded as Middenburgh by the Dutch in 1652. In the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland, Newtown was a suburb of New Amsterdam, and was renamed "Elmhurst" in 1897. <br></br> Shows a tract of woodlands, owned by farmer Abraham de Bevoise. Contains surveyors' field notes including the metes and bounds [1] of the plat relating it to land owned by Theodorus Kolyer (d. 1854). A fine, piece with a simple, pastoral view of the woodlands owned by de Bevoise, totaling two acres and 4 perches. A perch is a unit of area equal to 1/160 of an acre. <br /> <br /> Abraham de Bevoise (1819 - 1887) was a farmer originally of French Huguenot ancestors. <br /> <br /> <div class="indenttextblocksingle"> [1] The term "metes" refers to a boundary defined by the measurement of each straight run, specified by a distance between the terminal points, and an orientation or direction. A direction may be a simple compass bearing, or a precise orientation determined by accurate survey methods. The term "bounds" refers to a more general boundary description, such as along a certain watercourse, a stone wall, an adjoining public road way, or an existing building. (Online Source: https://definitions.uslegal.com/m/metes-and-bounds/) </div>