Burgis View, South Prospect, City of New York, 18th Century

William Burgis is believed to have arrived in New York from England by the early 18th century. In 1716, he stood at the Brooklyn Heights and drew an amazing view of the east side of Manhattan, the vessels on the East River and the ferry facilities on Long Island. It was engraved on copper in England by John Harris (fl. 1685-1739), published by subscription and printed on four sheets of paper from four plates. The original title was A South Prospect of y^e Flourishing City of New York in the Province of New York in America. . Date depicted: 1716-1718. Date issued: 1719-1721.

The Burgis View depicts the waterfront along the East River from the turn in State Street west of Whitehall to a point a little north of Catherine Street. The shore line, which, in 1679, corresponded to the north side of Pearl Street, had at the time of this picture been extended a full block into the river, so that the street or wharf, on which the houses in the foreground of our view are aligned, is the present Water Street, which, in 1679, was the low-water line.

A reduced copy of the Burgis View was published as an inset to the Map of the Harbor of New York by W.H. Popple, the first issue of which was published in 1732. A portion of the Burgis View was also engraved by Moll in 1741, together with views of nine other American cities as marginal insets to "A new map of North America, wherein is exactly described all y^e European settlements..."

On March 25, 1746, Thomas Bakewell of London reissued the Burgis View, with additions and corrections on the plates. The dedication was made to Governor Clinton by Bakewell in place of the original to Governor Hunter by Burgis.

Another edition of the Burgis View was engraved on large copper plate for the London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer, August 1761. Title as published in the London Magazine: The South Prospect of the City of New York, in North America.

Here, comments from Stokes (Iconography of Manhattan Island, ... 1915) about the original Burgis View:

«Mr. Andrews and other writers have described this important print as the earliest view of New York engraved in America. In his New Amsterdam New Orange New York, Mr. Andrews refers to it as follows: "The importance of this engraving in the pictorial annals of our city cannot well be over-estimated. It is beyond question an accurate representation of the place it claims to depict, and in the key at the foot of the print is embraced the name of every building of note of which the city at that time could boast."

There seems, however, to be every reason to believe that, while it was drawn by Burgis on the spot, the drawing was sent to England to be engraved. In the companion view of Boston the name of Wm. Burgis appears as “Delin.” in the left lower corner below the description, while the imprint of ‘‘I. Harris, Sculp.”’ appears below the borderline at the extreme right, exactly in the same place that it occupies in the Bakewell reissue of the Burgis New York view. On actually comparing the two views, New York and Boston, there can be no doubt that they are by the same hand. The style of the drawing and the character of the engraving determine this. We have ample evidence that the Boston view was sent to London to be engraved, as is proved by the several advertisements in the New England Courant of 1722 and 1723, and there is every reason to believe that the same course was followed in connection with the New York view.

The first advertisement of the Boston print appeared in the Courant for October 8, 1722, and reads as follows: "A View of the Great Town of Boston taken from a Standing on Noddles-Island, and designed to be cut on Copper will be carried on by Subscription as such expensive Works generally are. Those Gentlemen that would encourage such a Design may see the View at Mr. Price’s Print and Map-seller over against the Town House, where Proposals are to be had and Subscriptions taken in." In the Courant of November 12, 1722, appears the first newspaper mention of Wm. Burgis that we have been able to find: ‘‘Whereas there has been an Advertisement lately publish’d of a Design to print a View of this Town of Boston, taken from Noddles Island, This is to certify, that the Undertaker, William Burgis, desires all Gentlemen to be speedy in their subscriptions, in order to send the Drawing to England this Fall, that he may conform to the Proposals to that end lately published. N. B. Sufficient Security is given to conform to the Conditions of said Proposals or to return the Advance Money.” The Boston view was engraved by the summer of 1725, when in another advertisement in the Courant it was offered for sale by William Price.»

«The first advertisement of the New York view antedated that of the Boston view by almost a year, appearing in The Am. Weekly Mercury, Philadelphia, under date of February 13-20, 1721/2. It reads as follows: “A Curious Prospect of the City of New York, on 4 sheets of Royal Paper, to be sold by Andrew Bradford.” Another advertisement appeared in the issues of the New Eng. Courant of August 20-27 and August 27—September 3, of the same year, as follows: "To be sold at the Picture Shop over against the Town-House in Boston, an exact Prospect of the City of New York, with all Sorts of Prints and Maps, lately come from London, in frames or without by Will. Price."

A careful search made in London by Mr. Henry N. Stevens fails to bring to light any evidence that our William Burgis, or anyone bearing the same name, resided or worked there during the period under consideration, although a “William Burgiss” engraved, at a much later period, a series of plates of English churches. This Burgiss was not born until 1735. I. Harris was a well-known English engraver who flourished between 1685 and 1739, being associated for many years with John Senex, who also issued maps and views of America. His name would naturally have been allowed to remain on restrikes, even if published years after the plate was engraved. It is, of course, conceivable, but not at all likely, that I. Harris’s name was substituted for some other at the time of the reissue of the view in 1746, when Thos. Bakewell’s name replaced that of Wm. Burgis in the dedication. We know that Harris died in 1739, and although it is also possible that he was succeeded by a son bearing the same name, this assumption seems scarcely worthy of serious consideration. A further argument in support of the theory that Burgis was the artist only and not the engraver of the 1717 view, is found in the fact that his Plan of Boston, although bearing his name in the dedication, was ‘‘ Engraven by Tho^s Johnson, Boston, N. E.,” as is shown by the imprint. It was probably engraved in 1729, as it was first advertised in the News-Letter of July 3d of that year, as “lately published.” It is true that Wm. Burgis did engrave a ‘“‘ View of the Light House”’ at Boston, which he signed ‘‘W Burgis del. & fecit,” but the engraving of this print is very different from that of the New York and Boston views, and much cruder.»

«The Burgis drawing was made from Brooklyn Heights, and evidently depicts the city on some special occasion, as is evidenced by the large amount of shipping present in the East River, by the firing of a general salute, etc. It may possibly represent the festal occasion of the celebration of the King’s Birthday on June 4, 1717, just prior to Governor Hunter’s departure for Albany.»

«In a paper on ‘‘The Burgis Views of New York and Boston,” read on February 17, 1914, before the Bostonian Society and printed in their Proceedings, for 1915, Mr. John H. Edmonds, of Boston, draws attention to the fact that the new province seal which, with the city seal and the coat of arms of Governor Hunter, bearing the date 1717, adorns the view, was not received in New York until July 1, 1718 (...). He therefore concludes that 1717 is too early a date to assign to the publication of this print, the drawing for which, including the seals, could hardly have been completed before the later part of 1718.

The following interesting notes are taken from Mr. Edmonds’s paper:

In an inventory of the effects of Thomas Selby, who died on September 19, 1727, are included "Two Prospect glasses, one brush for clothes, one map of New York, one pair of bellows £2 — 5 —0"; and in an inventory of the personal effects of Gov. William Burnett, who died September 7, 1729, are included: a “Prospect of New York 10/ Ditto of Boston 10/.” (The Boston view had originally been valued at 20 shillings, but was reduced to 10 shillings, evidently to conform with the New York view.)

Burgis was married on October 1, 1728, to Mehitable Selby, the widow of Thomas Selby, who was associated with him in the publication of the Boston View. Selby had been proprietor of the Crown Coffee House, at the Long Wharf, the present No. 148 State Street, near Chatham Row, Boston. Burgis evidently succeeded to the business for, on July 13, 1729, his petition to be “Tavernor at the Crown Coffee House” was approved and recommended to the Justices.

Reference to prints and copperplates, presumably of the Burgis drawings, is made in a suit brought on May 5, 1728, by Burgis against William Rendle (Randle), japanner, factor for John Greenwood, combmaker, “of London, but now of Boston,” on bond of £100, dated April 8, 1723, the condition having been that Greenwood, after deducting what Burgis owed him, was to render a true account "of the neat [net] proceeds of Certain Prints, a Certain Note & some Copper Plates," which account he had failed to render.

Burgis, from the time of his marriage, was constantly in the courts. On September 17, 1730, an execution was issued in favor of John Smith, merchant, against Wm. Burgis, gentleman, and was placed in the hands of Deputy Sheriff W. Nicholls for collection. Nicholls returned this document on February 11, 1730/1, with the following endorsement, “I have found neither person or estate and return it in no part satisfied by reason it came to late to my hands.” Burgis had probably left Massachusetts before this execution was granted. The last reference which Mr. Edmonds has found to him there is under date of July 20, 1736, in Council Records of Massachusetts: “A Petition of Mahetable Burgess of Boston, setting forth that her Husband William Burgess having gotten what he could of her estate into his hands about five years since left her, and has never returned into the Province again, nor taken the least care for her Support, and whether he be living or dead she knows not, and therefore praying for a Divorce or that the marriage may be declared void. Read & Dismissed.” Unfortunately the original petition is no longer in the files.

A reduced copy of the Burgis View was published as an inset to the Popple Map, the first issue of which appeared in 1732 [...], and bears the signature of W. H. Toms, engraved above the reference letter “O” on the Brooklyn shore, near the Ferry. The view was also issued separately from the map, printed on a folio sheet with similar views of Quebec, Niagara, and the City of Mexico, but without signature.

A portion of the Burgis View was also engraved by Moll in 1741, together with views of nine other American cities, the views being introduced as marginal insets to a very rare map entitled “A new map of North America, wherein is exactly described all y^e European settlements, with whatever else is remarkable in the West Indies, from the latest and best Discoveries: Adorn’d with views and plans of the most considerable Towns, Harbours &c.” Apparently the same map, with the same views but bearing the imprint “Henry Overton at the White Horse without Newgate, London,” was published in the same year. This map was dedicated to the Hon^ble Edward Vernon Esq., and bears the title: “A New & Correct Map of the Trading Part of the West Indies including the Seat of War between Great Britain and Spain. Likewise the British Empire in America ... Adorned with Prospects of y^e most considerable Towns, Ports, Harbours, etc., therein contained from the latest and best Observations.”»