Old House, Corner of Peck Slip and Water Street (from Scenes of Old New York) 1870

Henry Farrer made this etching titled, *Old House, Corner of Peck Slip and Water Street (from Scenes of Old New York)*, in 1880. Farrer, born in London, emigrated to the United States, and was part of the American etching revival. Here we see an old building, probably dating to the early 19th century, already an antique by the time Farrer made this print. It’s a bustling image, with vendors displaying their wares in open-air stalls. The buildings feel crowded together, yet the street is populated by only a few figures. What kind of lives did these people live? What did the old buildings mean to the rapidly changing cityscape of lower Manhattan? This etching invites us to consider the layers of history embedded in urban spaces, and prompts us to reflect on the narratives we construct about the past. It encapsulates a moment in New York's trajectory, balancing nostalgia with the relentless march of progress.