THE OLD POST OFFICE. NEW YORK.

New York [NY]: Herm. Wessbecher, 18 & 20 Liberty St.; John Briem Lith. & Printer, 43 Maiden Lane, nd [1875]. Lithograph, 34 x 26 cm. image, on a 43 x 33 cm. sheet. An architectural view of the post office building, its sign visible on the facade, with a horse-drawn buggy paused at the curb in front of an entrance. Archival repairs to a few short tears at margins (not affecting image), and infilled with Japanese paper. A very good copy. Item #59887

Deak “Picturing America,” 840: "New York City's former Middle Dutch Church on Nassau Street had been leased in 1844 to the U.S. government for purposes of a post office; in 1860 it became the property of the government at a cost of $250,000. Shortly thereafter, a two-story addition was built, depicted here, padding out the building on all sides and cutting off from view all but the roof and steeple of the original structure." The city of New York later built a new post office, and this one was abandoned in August, 1875. "The publisher of the lithograph, H. Wessbecher, had a restaurant in the vicinity as the New York City directory and the embossing on the print both tell us. He may have commissioned John Briem to prepare the lithograph in 1875 as a souvenir for his customers when the church was abandoned as a post office." America on Stone, pp. 109 and 399.

Price: $275.00