Ornamental Bridge, from the series, Views in Central Park, New York, Part 2
Medium
Color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 in. × 2 3/8 in. (10.2 × 6.1 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick, 1947
Accession Number
47.91.25(31)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the idyllic greens of 1860s New York with *Ornamental Bridge*, charming color lithograph from Louis Prang & Co.'s series *Views in Central Park, York, Part 2*. Created just six years after Central Park's1858 opening, this print (measuring a mere 4 × 2⅜ inches) captures the park's early allure as a democratic oasis amid the city's rapid urbanization. The ornamental bridge, likely a picturesque feature amid winding paths, evokes leisurely strolls, with tags hinting at women and girls enjoying the serene landscape—a nod to the park's role as a social hub for all classes. Louis Prang & ...
About the Artist
Louis Prang & Co. · 1800–1950
Louis Prang & Co. was the Boston printing firm that introduced the Christmas card to the American public and elevated chromolithography to the level of a serious art form. Its founder, Louis Prang (1824–1909), was born in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland), where he trained as a cloth printer and dyer. After participating in revolutionary activity against the Prussian government, he fled first...