The Post Office, Middle Dutch Church (from Scenes of Old New York) 1870

Henry Farrer created this etching of the Post Office, Middle Dutch Church, as part of his Scenes of Old New York. It offers a glimpse into the transformation of urban space and institutional function in late 19th-century New York. The image invites us to consider how the visual codes of architecture and infrastructure—the church's steeple, the clock faces, the newly installed telegraph wires—speak to a society in transition. Made during a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization, this work captures a moment when traditional institutions, like the church, were being repurposed to serve the needs of a burgeoning commercial society, hence becoming a Post Office. To fully understand this etching, we might delve into archival sources like city directories and historical maps, which can reveal the changing demographics and land use patterns of lower Manhattan. These resources would allow a more profound appreciation of this image of institutional adaptation.