Exhibit charts New York's ascent in art world

This reception room cabinet, built in New York City about 1860 by Gustave Herter, has intricate marquetry in bird's eye maple, rosewood, ebony, white pine, cherry, poplar and oak. An oil-on-canvas painting adorns the front panel

(CNN) -- It's difficult to imagine a time when New York City wasn't a center of art and culture. An upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will look at how it gained that stature.

"Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825-1861," which opens September 19 and runs to January 7, will feature 310 works illustrating how economic, historic, technological and cultural forces transformed New York into a world-class city.

Museum director Philippe de Montebello describes the period -- from the commercially significant opening of the Erie Canal to the start of the Civil War -- as "the moment when New York City began to perceive itself as the center of culture in America."

"The city we know today -- the vibrant capital of art, architecture, design and fashion -- finds its roots in this period," he said in a statement.

Thematic galleries

The exhibition is divided thematically into 12 galleries. The first, "The Rise of a Great City," features a full-length portrait of Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette by Samuel F.B. Morse.

INTERACTIVE GALLERY   See more of the artworks   RESOURCES   ART MUSEUM SITES: international u.s. cities: a-h u.s. cities: i-q u.s. cities: r-z

The gallery also includes "View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains," an example of American landscape painting by Thomas Cole, and William J. Bennett's engraving "Fulton Street and Market."

The second gallery is a recreation of a 19th-century portrait gallery, while other themed exhibits examine neo-classical architecture, decorative arts, photography and fashions, among other areas.

The final gallery features the dramatically displayed Frederic Edwin Church painting "The Heart of the Andes," which drew some 12,000 viewers during its 1859 display in New York.

Accompanying the exhibition is a 648-page book, along with a two-day symposium and a variety of free lectures.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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