Manahatta
As an illustrator I often get tasked with portraying the past. Added to the usual challenge of composition and general references, historical subjects demand reasearch into each particular time period. Sometimes this is an easy job – a lot of good books have been written on various subjects such as clothing, architecture, tools, weapons etc. Then there are the more difficult assignments, where historians and archaeologists have to be consulted directly. And then again there are times when one simply have to make an educated guess.
Any new reference I come across is always welcome. Especially when the information is something hitherto unknown or unavailable. A few years ago I had a particularly happy time in the Danish National Archives digging up references on 18th century ships. Original construction drawings and sketches of the ships made it possible to paint fairly accurately some famous ships from Danish-Norwegian naval history. Going to the archives in Copenhagen I knew this material was there, some of it has been published or written about. So the pleasure was more in finding the specific drawings I was after, which I had never seen before. But sometimes you come across something truly unexcpected and wonderful. Recently I became aware of The Manahatta Project (www.TheManahattaProject.org). It is presented in a book well described by Publishers Weekly:
In this brilliantly illustrated volume, Sanderson and Boyer recreate the ecology of Manhattan as it was that 1609 September afternoon when Henry Hudson first saw it, “prodigious in its abundance, resplendent in its diversity.” The project began as a simple thought exercise, when senior Bronx Zoo ecologist Sanderson (Human Footprint: Challenges for Wilderness and Biodiversity) tried visualizing pre-colonial Manhattan, but was promoted to full-blown science project after Sanderson discovered an “extraordinary” 1776 British Headquarters Map detailing the island’s natural terrain. Developing a “georeference” system to coordinate the old map, Sanderson “relates its depiction of the old hills and valleys to their modern addresses.” From there, he reconstructs data missing from the historical record using standard scientific tools-examining pollen layers, tree rings, archeological information, etc. Sanderson’s text integrates political and sociological history; examines the culture of the original inhabitants, the Lenape (their word Mannahatta means “Island of Many Hills”); and covers a wealth of ecological data; he even shares his vision for the ecologically sustainable city of 2409. This wise and beautiful book, sure to enthrall anyone interested in NYC history, boasts maps, charts, photos and artist renderings, thorough appendices (including Lenape place-names and Manhattan’s flora and fauna), and an extensive section of “Notes, Sources, and Elaborations.” 120 color illustrations.
Having a particular interest in the history of New York I find the project and the book fascinating. Below is my own effort a few years back of recreating New Amsterdam, later New York, in 1660, based on The Castello Plan of 1670, a copy of a Dutch survey of the city drawn in 1660.
