View of College Point, L.I. 1876.
19 ¾ x 28 inches, Marginal mends away from image, rebacked on supporting sheet, very good overall.
An elegant and scarce bird’s-eye view of College Point, showing the area during its transition from a rural suburb to a thriving factory town. The development of the neighborhood centered on the Enterprise Rubber Works, founded by the German-American philanthropist and entrepreneur Conrad Poppenhusen. His factory is shown as well as two other significant Poppenhusen works: the College Point station of the Long Island Railroad (the rubber baron acquired and consolidated the railroads which would become the LIRR) and the Poppenhusen Institute, a free educational center whose offerings included the first free kindergarten.
Many of the residents of College Point were, like Poppenhusen, German immigrants; hence it is not surprising that the neighborhood should have become well known for its beer. Only one of the famous beer-gardens, the Boulevard Hotel, is labeled; but two breweries are marked and named. Schools, churches, lumberyards and other manufactories are labeled as well. The view is decorated with many sailboats, rowboats and a steamer sailing Flushing Bay and the East River.
* Reps, Views and Viewmakers 2489.
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