Map, Long Island, New York, Pictorial, Hamptons, Catherine & Theodore Nelson, Vintage Print, c. 1964

This series of pictorial maps of Long Island and the Hamptons, produced in 1964, have illustrations of historical interest, as described below.

Long Island: An assortment of illustrations include trees, local fauna, a painter, a hunter, tennis players, clipper ships and boats, as well as larger vignettes of historic buildings and famous people. The cartouche features a large anchor and treasure chest. In a humorous vignette left of the cartouche, a mermaid picks a crab out of the water as a startled fish looks on. The decorative border features silhouettes of birds, fish, and trees.

East Hampton, Southampton and Bridgehampton: Three maps each depict these Long Island towns as they were in 1870, showing houses of the period labeled with the owners’ names. Illustrations of trees, local fauna, carriage riders, and trains decorate the maps. The cartouches feature pictures of homes, with people in period dress out for walks or carriage rides. The East Hampton cartouche shows the John Howard Payne house that inspired the song “Home Sweet Home.”

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: Each generally very good with only minor toning and wear.

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).