Bowen & McNamee's Silk Warehouse, Broadway, New York
This print shows one of the first "marble palace" stores in New York. Located at 112-114 Broadway, it opened ca. 1849 to house the silk and drygoods merchants Bowen & McNamee. Inspired by Venetian palaces, the British-born architect Joseph C. Wells created a lavish exterior whose large window openings relied on iron supports. Many other New York merchants followed suit and created similarly palatial exteriors for their stores. During the Civil War, as sales of luxury goods declined and orders from southern clients disappeared, Bowen, Holmes & Co., as the company was then known, unfortunately went bankrupt.
One of the co-founders, Henry Chandler Bowen (1813-1896), was a leading abolitionist and member of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn. He also helped to establish The Independent, a congregationalist newspaper, edited by the renowned preacher Henry Ward Beecher, that became an important advocate for abolition and women's suffrage.
One of the co-founders, Henry Chandler Bowen (1813-1896), was a leading abolitionist and member of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn. He also helped to establish The Independent, a congregationalist newspaper, edited by the renowned preacher Henry Ward Beecher, that became an important advocate for abolition and women's suffrage.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bowen & McNamee's Silk Warehouse, Broadway, New York
- Lithographer: Charles Gildemeister (German, 1820–1869)
- Printer: Nagel & Weingärtner (American, active New York 1849–56)
- Architect: Joseph Collins Wells (American (born England), 1814–1860 at sea)
- Subject: Bowen & McNamee (American, established 1839)
- Date: ca. 1850
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: Image: 14 in. × 9 1/2 in. (35.5 × 24.1 cm)
Sheet: 18 7/8 × 11 15/16 in. (48 × 30.4 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Mary Knight Arnold, 1974
- Object Number: 1974.673.94
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.