Charles Magnus & Company

Charles Magnus & Company was an American publishing and printing firm active primarily between 1850 and 1885. The company specialized in producing historical views, topographical studies, and detailed cityscapes, documenting the rapid urban development of New York City in the latter half of the 19th century.

The Charles Magnus & Company prints provide a significant visual record of metropolitan infrastructure and social history. Nine of their documented works are held in major institutional collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, establishing the firm’s historical importance.

The subject matter often centered on essential civic locations and new technologies, such as the elevated rail lines. Notable subjects include the transit views Broadway and 6th Avenue Junction. 33rd St. Elevated R.R. Station and Chatham Square Elevated Railroad Crossing. The firm also captured critical sites related to immigration and urban planning, such as Castle Garden Landing for Emigrants, Barge Office, Battery and City Hall Park, Broadway, from Park Place to Chambers Street. Further prints detail specific neighborhood evolution, including Broadway at 42nd Street, New York. Today, many of these historical depictions of New York are available in the public domain, often reproduced as high-quality prints and downloadable artwork.