Cleopatra's Needle: The Egyptian Enigma in the American Garden frames the 3,000-year-old obelisk in its improbable Central Park exile, hieroglyphs weathering quietly behind the Metropolitan Museum. A Gilded Age trophy hauled across the Atlantic by Vanderbilt money, rendered here as if Thebes had wandered into Olmsted's pastoral.

About the Source

Bella Frye sources NYC artifacts from American photographic archives, postcard collections, and period broadsides — the press photographers, postcard publishers, and architectural lithographers who documented Manhattan and the boroughs through the Gilded Age, the jazz-age skyline, and the great pre-war years.

Materials & Finish

Printed to order in our Pacific Northwest studio on premium 380gsm cotton canvas with archival pigment inks. Hand-finished and framed in our signature ornate frame with verdigris corner detail, available in three finishes:

• Ebony — deep black with carved ornate detailing; dramatic against light walls
• Verdigris — aged copper-green with antique patina; the signature Bella Frye look
• Bourbon — warm walnut tone with ornate relief; rich and historically grounded

Stretched canvas (frameless gallery wrap) is available for those who prefer a frameless presentation.

Where It Belongs

Apartments, lofts, libraries, restaurants, and any space that draws power from New York's particular history. Pairs naturally with other documents from the Bella Frye Archive — period photographs, architectural drawings, and the artifacts of American urban memory.

• Premium 380gsm cotton canvas, archival pigment inks
• Three frame finishes: Ebony, Verdigris, Bourbon
• Stretched canvas option available
• Hand-finished in our Pacific Northwest studio
• Arrives ready to hang
• Free shipping on every order, ships next business day