Description
Pictorial map of Long Island having an assortment of illustrations of local interest including trees, local fauna, a painter, a hunter, tennis players, and boats, as well as larger vignettes of historic buildings and famous people. The cartouche features a large anchor and treasure chest. A mermaid to the left of the cartouche picks a crab out of the water. The decorative border features silhouettes of birds, fish, and trees. The map is mounted on wooden rollers with a cord hanger attached — an unusual format for a map of this period, accounting in part, for its desirability and value.
E. Theodore Nelson (né Einar Theodore Nilsson) was born in Brooklyn to Swedish parents and attended Brooklyn Manual High School. He and his wife, Catherine H. Nelson, had an illustration studio in St. James, New York, on Long Island. After his death in 1964, Catherine continued to operate Nelson Studio. Nelson Studio published historical pictorial maps of Long Island and of the towns of Valley Stream, East Hampton, Bridgehampton and Southampton.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall toning of varnish and scattered soft creases.
Reference:
“Maps.” Village of Valley Stream, NY. http://www.vsvny.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BE0207D3F-7F8B-4278-B413-4D5F6DE6F2BA%7D (7 October 2014).