Product Description

The most famous city in the world wasn’t always what it is today. This retro “Greetings from Manhattan” letterpress greeting is a follow-up to the Brooklyn version, and it will transport you into the island of Manna-hata, or ‘the land of many hills’ of the 1770s! It was born out of my fascination with maps and the history of the city that I live in.

Before Wall Street, there stood an actual protective wall which enclosed a colony that was situated at the southern tip of the island. It may not be easy, but try to picture Manhattan before Central Park, Times Square, and any other landmark or bridge. Before the world famous city street grid, there was a road called ‘Bowery Lane” which originated from the Dutch word “bouwerij” meaning “farm”. It was THE road that went beyond the colony’s protective wall, a connecting link to the farms and pastures, forests and marshes, and estates of wealthy prominent European residents of the time. For example, an individual named Clark named his estate after Chelsea Manor in his native England – today, that area is still called Chelesa. There’s so much history in this city! Each card is individually hand printed in Brooklyn, NY.

• Features an updated interpretation of a vintage map of Manhattan – New York Colony on the southern tip, private land estates marked on the map (with present-day neighborhood names in parentheses)
• Back of the card features an informative paragraph about the history of the island
• Blank inside
• Card size 5.5″x4.5″ (folded)
• Matching red envelope included
• Printed on recycled content kraft cardstock paper on an antique Vandercook press
• Carefully packaged in a compostable, made from plants (not plastic) cellophane envelope (it will break down in about 15 weeks once in the compost bin)

Colors may vary slightly on different monitors.