The Great East River Suspension Bridge: Connecting the Cities of New York and Brooklyn

Currier and Ives

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a large bridge over a wide river, seen from a slightly elevated view. The tall stone pillars and suspension cables of the bridge take up most of the upper half of the print. Below them, a cityscape is visible along the horizon to the right. Closer to us, sailboats and larger boats with smokestacks cross the light blue water. In the bottom left corner, the tops of buildings from the near side of the river are visible, with tiny depictions of people, horses, and carriages on the street far below. The sky is light blue at the top of the print, fading into white toward the horizon.