King’s Views of New York.

King’s Views of New York.

New York:

Moses King,

1908

This softcover version of the folio King’s Views has as its title page Moses King’s most famous creation, “King’s Dream of New York,” a 1908 drawing by Harry M. Pettit. The caption reads: “THE COSMOPOLIS OF THE FUTURE. A weird thought of the frenzied heart of the world in later times, incessantly crowding the possibilities of aerial and inter-terrestrial construction, when the wonders of 1908 – the Singer Bldg., 612 feet high, with offices on 41st ?oor, and the Metropolitan Life tower, 658 ft. high – will be far outdone, and the 1,000-ft. structure realized; now nearly a million people do business here each day; by 1930 it is estimated the number will be doubled, necessitating tiers of sidewalks, with elevated lines and new creations to supplement subway and surface cars, with bridges between the structural heights. Airships, too, may connect us with all the world. What will posterity develop?”

From the Collection of Mark D. Tomasko