August | 2023 | The Grosvenor Room: Genealogy, Local History, Maps, Music & Rare Books

Monthly Archives: August 2023

August 25, 2023 · 3:24 pm

Pictorial Buffalo

Pictorial maps (also known as illustrated, bird’s-eye view and panoramic maps) are a fun and popular form of geographic representation that places artistry over scientific accuracy to better feature elements of a landscape such as historical events, notable people, local products, buildings, industries, and tourist attractions. Some are as old as the history of cartography itself.

Here in the Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL are pictorial representations of Buffalo and the region from as early as the Smith Brothers’ 1853 aquatint lithograph,

to the Mario Zucca pictorial of Buffalo, which became a mural featured in the Hertel Walls public art project. https://www.mariozucca.com/work/buffalo-map

Prior to this latest pictorial of Buffalo, the 1920s through the 1980s saw numerous artists’ renditions of our Niagara region, with illustrated highlights of Buffalo.

A Geographically Correct Map of Erie & Niagara Counties, 1931

The mid-1980s resurgence of pictorial mapmaking saw local artists or large national companies create maps for historical information, or the promotion of regional tourism. Ken Root, Jr., a fourth generation Western New Yorker, created an instructional map with narrative details for persons and events in Buffalo-area history, and Archar Inc., whose maps of large cities proliferated at this time period, created a promotional image complete with the logos of area businesses. Jean Louis Rheault is a Montreal illustrator who has been creating cartographic designs for over three decades.

Bravo to these artists and cartographers, and here’s to the next creative mind to highlight our city’s best features.

Comments Off on Pictorial Buffalo

Filed under Art, Collections, Graphic Works, Local History, Maps

August 15, 2023 · 2:29 pm

Vanished or Vanishing Buffalo: Then and Now

One recurring bit of library-related nostalgia we sometimes encounter is for the 1887 Buffalo Public Library building, designed by Cyrus Eidlitz and previously located on the site of the current Central Library building on Washington Street.

Sepia photograph from above of the 1887 Buffalo Public Library building, facing south east. Snow is on the roof and the streets, and 1930s cars are visible, with some people on the sidewalks. — *View of the 1887 Buffalo Public Library building, from NYHeritage.*

Despite reports of sagging floors and lack of climate control, the building was a striking example of the Romanesque Revival style, and was much mourned following its demolition in preparation for the current headquarters of B&ECPL.

For those looking to reminisce further, the George Nathan Newman Collection of Photographs of Vanished and Vanishing Buffalo was digitized in 2008 and made available on New York Heritage, where we host some of our digital collections. Newman was an avid photograph collector, and donated a large number to the Grosvenor Library–the collection bearing his name would subsequently be interred in the Rare Book Room.

A cursory survey of the collection shows a large number of buildings now gone, and a surprising sample that have remained. A few days last week, I took a number of photographs of sites featured in the Newman collection. The differences (beyond just the differences in perspective and angle), as you can see below, are a very interesting. Drag the slider for the full effect.

Note: Images have been cropped and resized for comparison. Originals can be found at the links in the caption. Contemporary photographs taken by an amateur, edited by a professional, and then further edited by an amateur. All images ©Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.