‘BIRD’S-EYE VIEWS OF NEW YORK STATE’ AT FENIMORE ART MUSEUM

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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Fenimore Art Museum will present “Panoramas of Pride: Nineteenth Century Bird’s-Eye Views of New York State,” on view April 1–December 31, in the museum’s West Gallery.

“Panoramas of Pride” recalls an era when Empire State cities and towns vied to promote themselves as the most prosperous and progressive of communities. Bird’s-eye views depicted communities as panoramas seen from above, as if sketched from a hot-air balloon. Their representation of street patterns, prominent buildings, transportation networks and landscapes are almost photographic in detail.

 Bird’s-eye views were actually created by teams of artists and lithographers whose feet were firmly planted on the ground. Artists began their work by sketching all of the buildings on every street and each feature of the landscape surrounding the community. After studying the sketches, the artist selected a “vantage point” and translated the sketches into a completed perspective illustration.

 The resulting lithographs were both impressive and remarkably accurate snapshots of many communities, large and small, across New York. Among these views from the collections of the New York State Historical Association are an 1855 image of New York City and lithographs of upstate cities, including Syracuse, Utica and Oswego. Each of the latter prominently depicts the network of canals that helped ensure the economic dominance of the metropolis at the mouth of the Hudson.

The Fenimore Art Museum is at 5798 State Highway 80, Lake Road. For information, www.fenimoreartmuseum.org or 1-888-547-1450.