Washington Irving had returned from Europe to study law with his legal mentor, Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman, in New York City.

By his own admission, he was not a good student, and barely passed the bar in 1806. he began actively socializing with a group of literate young men he dubbed "The Lads of Kilkenny".

Collaborating with his brother William and fellow Lad James Kirke Paulding, Irving created the literary magazine Salmagundi in January 1807.

Writing under various pseudonyms, such as William Wizard and Launcelot Langstaff, Irving lampooned New York culture and politics in a manner similar to today's Mad magazine.

Salmagundi is a moderate success, spreading Irving's name and reputation beyond New York.

In its seventeenth issue, dated November 11, 1807, Irving affixes the nickname "Gotham"—an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "Goat's Town"—to New York City.