Many of Bailey's drawings tell a story. In this piece, a creek is illustrated. This is no ordinary creek, however, as it has a curious history. The drawing was published in the New York Sun in 1934 (the clipping on the right) and included the following text:
"Inwood Hill Park (upper left), the northern end of Manhattan Island, Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the Spuyten Duyvil section of the Bronx (upper right), are shown in this sketch. The Palisades of the Hudson are in the center of the background. Spuyten Duyvil Creek is said to have been named after the death of a trumpeter who was drowned in his attempt to swim across the creek. The trumpeter had been sent by a Governor of New Amsterdam to warn the farmers up the Hudson of the appearance of the English fleet in the harbor. The trumpeter found no ferryman willing to take him across the creek during a high wind. The Dutch colony’s courier then swore he would cross “spyt den duivel” (in spite of the devil)."
The original drawing, as well as a scan of the original newspaper clipping, are available for purchase. Call 203-500-7352 for more information.
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