Wall Street, Corner Broad Street

Wall Street, looking west towards Trinity Church, from the corner of Broad Street. The First Presbyterian Church, founded in 1716, as a Presbyterian Meeting, and rebuilt in 1811, is on the right. Aquatint by Raoul Varin (1865-1943), printed in colors by Ackerman & Son, New York, 1864. Source: Mabel Brady Garvan Collection, Yale University Art Gallery. Illustration based on oil painting on canvas by unknown artist, published in The Iconography of Manhattan Island..., 1918 by Isaac Newton Phelps, who believed the year depicted was about 1820 (see his comments below).

Another version of this painting was published, in 1922, in the in Old New York Yesterday & Today by Henry Collins Brown (1862-1961), with title: A Rare View of Wall Street from Broad Street, 1825. Here the text on print that accompanies this illustration: «A unique sketch of contemporary date, giving an excellent idea of street traffic and costumes of that early period.

The corner at the left (Law Book) is now occupied by the new addition to the Stock Exchange. Back of this was Josiah Hoffman's law office where Washington Irving studied law. To the rear of what is now the new Stock Exchange building is a small street called New Street because it was "new" when the Dutch burghers first built it three hundred years ago and the name has never been changed. The church in the center is, of course, old Trinity. The tall building with steeple is the First Presbyterian Church, used as a hospital during the Revolution. This church is now on Fifth Avenue near 12th Street. The little two-story wooden building with the awning was a famous tavern in its day kept by John Simmons. Washington dined here and the first Mayor of New York was appointed here.»

Continue below...

Here, comments by Stokes about this illustration:

«Owner: Miss Sarah Cooper Hewitt, who inherited it from Miss Mary G. Ward.

This interesting painting was evidently made a few years prior to the lithograph reproduced as Plate 105, which shows the same view, except that the latter includes the old Custom House and the building on the south-east corner of Broad and Wall Streets.

The signs on the buildings seem to fix the date of the painting between the years 1820 and 1821. For example, S. M. Isaacs (not Isaacks), whose sign appears beneath the lowest window of the building on the south-west corner of Wall and Broad Streets, is not at this address until 1820, according to the directories; while T. & W. Benton, boot-makers (not T. W. Benton, as in the painting), occupied the shop seen on the right of the view. This firm appears in the directory of 1821 as Thomas Benton & Co.

The shop on the south-west corner of Wall and Broad Streets seems to have been occupied as a book-store for many years. In 1803-4, Stephen Gould “printer & bookseller,” first appears here. With some slight changes in the wording of the address, Gould continued at this corner until 1819-20, when as “Gould & Banks” the firm moved to 88 Nassau Street, and Stephen Gould alone is given at Broad and Wall Streets. In the directory for 1820, Gould & Banks, at 88 Nassau Street, first appear as “law booksellers,” and, in 1821, Stephen Gould’s address is given in the directory as “Gould S. Law Bookseller and Law Stationer, old stand, sign of Lord Coke, corner of Wall and Broad.” Gould continued here until 1825, when he apparently gave up this shop, but continued his interest in the firm of Gould & Banks, at 88 Nassau Street. In 1825, a stationer named Peter Burtsell took over the corner shop, and his name continues to appear in the directories at this address for a number of years.

This picture has a charm equalled by very few views within the city belonging to this period.»