Map: "[Birdseye] View of Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1875"

From Barnum Museum

1875 (Date manufactured/created)

25.75 in H X 34.25 in W

Birdseye view map of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1875, the year that P. T. Barnum served as the City's Mayor.  This also marks the expansion of Bridgeport's boundaries, with the previous year's annexation of Black Rock on its west side, which had been part of the Town of Fairfield.  In addition to showing the layout of the streets and the Pequonnock and Rivers feeding into Long Island Sound, the highly detailed map shows all types of buildings, the railroad tracks, bridges, wharves and harbor buildings, and trees.  Illustrating activity in the city, the view includes trains, sailing vessels, steamboats, horses, and pedestrians.  The distant view near the horizon line gives the viewer a sense of the city's extent, with rolling hills beyond its border.  The colors of the lithograph print were originally much richer and brighter, with large areas of green grass and trees, and numerous red brick structures. Below the map are four inset illustrations depicting, from left to right: Seaside Park; the Jacob Kiefer Furniture Manufacturing Company; the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Works; and Waldemere, the Residence of P.T. Barnum, Esq., which can also be seen in the area directly above Seaside Park. Surrounding the map title, other notable sites and churches are listed, and at the bottom there are lists of the various manufacturers in the city.  Birdseye views of cities became very popular in the mid to late 1800s, especially as hot air balloons came into use, offering artists a higher altitude perspective than hilltop views had done previously.  This genre of map is named for the perspective that a bird aloft would have, thus the description of it as a bird's eye view became shortened to "birdseye" view.  These types of maps provided new perspectives on emerging urban landscapes, many of which were changing rapidly due to Industrialization.  P. T. Barnum was responsible for much of Bridgeport's development, especially on the east side of the river, where he owned and developed many acres of land for houses.  He encouraged businesses to move to Bridgeport and build factories.  Barnum also played a key role in the creation of many of the city's parks, a reservoir to ensure a supply of clean water, and the city's first hospital.   Since these panoramic maps were often paid for by subscription, with the subscribers receiving an image of their choice in the margin (e.g., a picture of their residence or factory), it is likely that the cost of producing this map was underwritten by Barnum, Jacob Kiefer, and Wheeler & Wilson. Barnum may have commissioned it in part because he was Mayor that year.  Birdseye view maps were not simply decorative and educational; they were often used as promotional tools to encourage further development.  The map was drawn and published by O. H. Bailey, and produced by the American Oleograph Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

 

Gift of F. E. Jacobian

Accession/ID Number 1971.003.001

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