Drawn by New York

The New-York Historical Society's drawing collection is one of the earliest assembled in the United States, yet its trove of over 8,000 sheets and 75 rare sketchbooks is surprisingly unknown. "Drawn by New York" presents over 200 highlights of the Society's vast holdings; a collection which spans six centuries, from 16th century avian watercolours and a Dutch view of New Amsterdam (1650), to the facade of St. Patrick's Cathedral captured from inside Rockefeller Center by Richard Haas (2002) and representations of the World Trade Center, both before and after September 2001.There are works by Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, sheets by members of the Hudson River School, including 29 sketchbooks and 310 individual drawings by Asher B. Durand, and a cache of 500 watercolours by John James Audubon. The main catalogue of featured works includes a biography, selected bibliography and full technical entries on each work, and is followed by an essay on the historical and cultural significance of the collection.