Frequently asked questions about "The Manhattan Skyline" panoramas of New York City

Image of the west side of Manhattan from 71st to 72nd streets, showing a portion of the 1,500 water tanks appearing in The Manhattan Skyline portraits, detailing the New York City skyline.

Question: One of the signature features of New York City's skyline is the rooftop water tanks. Are the panoramas detailed enough to show them? Answer: Yes. Approximately 1,500 water tanks make an appearance in the two portraits of the Manhattan skyline.

Image comparing the relative sizes of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty

Question: Does the Statue of Liberty appear in the Skyline Portraits? Answer: No. Lady Liberty overlooks New York harbor from a spot approximately 1.5 miles (2.4km) south of the tip of Manhattan, or 3 feet (91cm) off the south edge of the panoramas.

What are The Manhattan Skyline Portraits?

Two highly-detailed scale drawings by artist John Wagner, depicting New York City's spectacular constellation of skyscrapers. These works of art are available in two panoramic prints, entitled The Manhattan Skyline Portraits. They chronicle the city's appearance prior to Sept. 11, 2001.

An East River Portrait captures the east side of the island from the Battery to 96th Street as seen from Brooklyn and Queens looking west. A Hudson River Portrait shows the same lower half of Manhattan, but from the opposite side, from New Jersey looking east across the Hudson River.

Why are there two different portraits?

The panoramas show New York City from the perspective familiar to most — at ground level, as opposed to the view from an airplane. As many important buildings in Manhattan's skyline are visible from only one side of the island (the United Nations Headquarters, for example), Wagner created two cityscapes for a more complete survey of the city's buildings.

If each portrait shows only one side of the island, why does each print contain two images?
Image describing how the prints are laid out
What looks like two images is actually one 12-foot-long vista divided into two 6-foot sections. Each portrait pauses at 29th Street and continues on the panel below, permitting the entire 12-foot image to be presented on a single sheet of paper. The panorama reads like a two-line sentence, from left to right and top to bottom.

How big are the portraits?

Each print is 18.5 inches high by 75 inches wide (47 by 190.5 cm).

Can these portraits be framed?

Yes. The Manhattan Skyline Portraits look magnificent in a frame behind glass. This and other attractive and practical display ideas are discussed in the FRAMING OPTIONS TO CONSIDER section of our framing and display ideas page.

My wall space is limited. So is my budget. What display options do I have?

The panoramas can be kept as a memento to be enjoyed occasionally like a favorite picture book. Each portrait comes in a decorative tube that will keep your artwork safe until another look is desired, or until suitable wall space becomes available. For display-space alternatives you may not have thought of, see the framing and display ideas page starting with ENJOY NEW YORK CITY ANYWHERE.

To save money and wall space, can I frame just a part of the panorama?

Yes. You may take portions of the cityscape, such as Midtown or the Financial District, and frame them as individual works of art at a considerable savings in framing costs and wall space. See STUCK FOR SPACE TO DISPLAY?.

How many buildings does each panorama show?
Number of buildings image
More than 3,500. Of that number, approximately 1,000 buildings make a strong showing in the artwork. The other structures show in part and portray the complexity and density of a truly grand metropolis. More than 500 buildings in each portrait are identified with informative labels.

How long did it take to finish these two cityscapes?

More than three years. Wagner began drawing in May 1998 and finished two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The portraits appear photographic. Why didn't the artist just take a picture with a camera?

Wagner actually took more than 2,000 photographs to use as reference for drawing the city. Advances in satellite and imaging technology may eventually make creating The Manhattan Skyline Portraits as easy as taking a photograph. In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy a hand-crafted image that we believe offers the finest view presently available of New York City's impressive sweep of skyscrapers.

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How can I purchase copies of The Manhattan Skyline Portraits?

You can order online from our two authorized dealers. You can also locate a shopkeeper offering the panoramas for sale. Or simply call GRANDSCAPES to make your purchase.

How much does each print cost?

Each Manhattan Skyline Portrait sells for $29.95.

Are updates of these panoramas planned?

Yes. New construction in the city, including rebuilding at the World Trade Center site, will eventually appear in future editions. Demolitions and major changes to existing structures will also be recorded. No date has been set for publishing the first revisions of these artworks.

Buildings on the far side of the island seem as close as those on the near side. Is this intentional?

Yes. All structures were drawn to the same scale regardless of their location in Manhattan, ensuring no structure is diminished in size because of its distance from the viewer. The effect resembles a photograph taken with an infinitely-powerful telephoto lens.

Why don't buildings under construction appear in the drawings?

The steel skeleton of a rising tower is one sign of a growing, vibrant city, but it is not an object of beauty. Wagner chose to represent all buildings only as completed structures. He also ignored the effect of New York's masonry canyons by fully illuminating structures lost in the shadows of other buildings.

Each panorama is split into two sections. Is it possible to rejoin the two halves?

Yes. The 29th Street ends of each panel can be spliced together to recreate the original single-deck image. See WANT AN UNINTERRUPTED VIEW? on our framing and display ideas page.

Are there plans to depict Manhattan Island north of 96th Street?

Yes, as new development warrants. The intention of these portraits is to represent Manhattan's skyline. The relative scarcity of taller buildings in the city's mostly residential neighborhoods north of 96th Street places that portion of New York City beyond the scope of this work at present.

Where can I read more about Manhattan and its skyline?

The brilliant work of the writers, photographers and cartographers listed below helped bring to life The Manhattan Skyline Portraits:

• Above New York (Robert Cameron, George Plimpton, Paul Goldberger)
• AIA Guide to New York City (Norval White and Elliot Willensky)
• Blue Guide — New York (Carol von Pressentin Wright)
• The City Observed — A Guide to the Architecture of Manhattan (Paul Goldberger)
• The Encyclopedia of New York City (edited by Kenneth T. Jackson)
• Manhattan Block By Block — A Street Atlas (John Tauranac)
• Manhattan Skyscrapers (Eric P. Nash, Norman McGrath)
• New York From The Air (Yann Arthus-Bertrand, John Tauranac)
• New York, Upper East Side, Upper West Side (Identity Map Company)
• New York 1900 — Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890-1915 (Robert A.M. Stern, Gregory Bilmartin, John Massengale)
• New York 1930 — Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars (Robert A.M. Stern, Gregory Bilmartin, Thomas Mellins)
• New York 1960 — Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial (Robert A.M. Stern, Thomas Mellins, David Fishman)
• The Skyscraper (Paul Goldberger)

Special thanks for their invaluable help also goes to Stuart Allan and Mike Beard at Raven Maps, publishers of stunningly beautiful topographic maps that double as works of art; and to Tony Naden at Map Link, the world's largest wholesaler of maps of every description.

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