[Americana] [New York] Burgis, William (after). The South Prospect of the City of New York in America

(London, 1761). Engraved view. 7 1/4 x 21 1/4 in. (184 x 540 mm). From the London Magazine, 1761.

Scarce and attractive early view of lower Manhattan in New York City.

In 1716, William Burgis drew the waterfront along the east side of Manhattan from Brooklyn Heights. His drawing showed the East River crowded with naval and commercial vessels, and a portion of the southeast side of Manhattan, including Fort George and Trinity Church. Burgis titled the drawing "A South Prospect of Ye Flourishing City of New York" and sent it to London, where John Harris engraved the image on four copper plates, creating a six-foot-wide panoramic view when printed. The print was first advertised for sale in America in 1721 in The American Weekly Mercury as "A Curious Prospect of the City of New-York", and was copied several times over the years, including by Thomas Bakewell in 1746. A new impression was engraved, as seen here, for the London Magazine, in 1761.

There are three known variants of the view, one of which was printed with separate copper plates. The present variant comes from the same plate as one other, lacking only the "Engrav'd for the London Magazine 1761" imprint at the top. The title differs from the third variant, which reads "New York in North America," rather than just "America," as here. There are some other subtle differences from the third variant, namely that many of the sailing ships in this edition do not show people onboard, whereas all the sailing ships in the other editions show people aboard the ships.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

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Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Books and Manuscripts

[Americana] [New York] Burgis, William (after). The South Prospect of the City of New York in America

Books and Manuscripts

[Americana] [New York] Burgis, William (after). The South Prospect of the City of New York in America

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