Our Town is published to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Museum of the City of New York and the centennial of the consolidation of the city's five boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

Its illustrations, many of which have never before been published, reproduce paintings, etchings, lithographs, and photographs by such artists as Rembrandt Peale, Edward Moran, and Reginald Marsh, as well as clothing, theatrical costumes, and a wide range of decorative objects from the museum's unparalleled holdings.

The paintings featured range from a ca. 1750 John Wollaston portrait of Colonial matron Mary Spratt Provoost Alexander to Childe Hassam's 1890 Rainy Late Afternoon, Union Square to a 1989 work by graffiti artist LEE. Among the numerous prints are John Sloan's 1925 Snowstorm in the Village and Albert Abramowitz's 1930 colored woodcut Wuxtry (Newsboy). The photography highlights include rare 19th-century cyanotypes of Central Park, six works from the Museum's renowned Jacob A.

Riis Collection, and photographs taken by Berenice Abbott for her 1930s "Changing New York" project. A rare court suit and gown worn to one of George Washington's inaugural balls is featured alongside a Gilbert Stuart portrait of the first president.