The Long Island Railroad Co. (copyright)
Map of Long Island Showing The Long Island Railroad
American Bank Note Co., New York: c. 1884
Color-printed engraving
13.5 x 26.75 inches
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Attractive, detailed, and amusing advertising map of Long Island, issued by the Long Island Railroad. Enticing slogans surround the map promoting the island as a residential location and vacation destination: “Buy Homes on Long Island! The Pleasure Ground of New York. 250 Miles Water Front on Sea and Sound. Swept by Ocean Breezes. Cool in Summer. Warm in Winter. The Most Healthful And Delightful Climate On The Coast. Charming Marine Views. Sailing and Fishing Superb. Frequent and Fast Trains to all points. Cheap Fares.”
Towns are shown colored in shades of pink, green, purple, orange and yellow. Long Island Sound, the Atlantic Ocean and other bodies of water are colored blue. Long Island Railroad routes are shown in bold red and connecting railroads shown in black. A table in the upper left shows different lines and branches and their distances in miles. There is a mileage scale lower right. This is the first edition of map that was updated and reissued in 1891 by Sackett & Wilhelms Lithography Co., New York, with the same slogans in different typefaces, and additional pictorial illustrations and decorative flourishes in the margins.
The 1884 version shown here is discussed by historian David Yehling Allen in his books on Long Island and New York State maps. In the latter work he explains why the railroad produced the map:
There is a good reason why the Long Island Railroad was so heavily involved in promoting suburban real estate. Long Island has some of the earliest and best-known suburban developments in the country, and access to these new communities was by streetcar and railroad. “The route of the dashing commuter,” as the Long Island Railroad later liked to call itself, therefore had a strong financial interest in promoting this trend. Maps emphasizing rail connections were produced by both the railroad and by real estate developers (which often mentioned the proximity of their properties to a railroad station). They are an important source for studying the first phases of suburbanization in the United States.
Legend Lower Right Margin: “Maps of the Island Free, on Application by Mail to H.M. Smith, Traffic Manager, L.I.R.R., Long Island City.”
Full publication information: "38930 American Bank Note Co., New York."
References:
Allen, David Yehling. Long Island Maps and Their Makers. Mattituck, NY: Amereon House, 1997. pp. 104-105.
Allen, David Yehling. The Mapping of New York State: A Study in the History of Cartography. 5 November 2011. http://www.dyasites.com/maps/nysbook/Chapter13b.htm (23 April 2012).