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Description

The Rarest Edition of Augustus Koch's view of Aspen

Rare birdseye view of Aspen by noted viewmaker Augustus Koch, the only known 19th Century view of Aspen.

Augustus Koch's view of Aspen provides a remarkablely detailed depiction of the booming town of Aspen, illustrating 83 places of interest, including City Hall, Schools, the Roaring Fork Electric Light Company, Hotels (the Jerome, among others), 2 railroad depots and a public Tramway, Theaters, Mines and Mining Company Offices, Tunnels, Fire Stations, the Post Office, Schools, Churches, Residences, Saloons and the Race Track, among other places of interest. The detail is truly remarkable.

The present example is the edition of the view in the Library of Congress and described by Reps in his survey of American Views and Viewmakers. John Reps located only 2 examples (Bancroft Library and Library of Congress). A second larger version with the Kimberly-Hudson imprint is also know, but not described in Reps.

It is difficult to gage the exact age of this example. Reps and the Library of Congress date the map as 1893. The map was created using a photographic process that allowed for the view to be printed on a reduced size. We can offer no better estimate of the dating than Reps and the Library of Congress (see below).

A link to the Library of Congress example can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/item/75694514/

Condition Description
4 old folds, likely from having been rolled and flattened.
Reference
Reps 457.
Augustus Koch Biography

Augustus Koch (1840-?) was one of the most prolific American engravers of Birds Eye Views working outside of the major publishing centers.  Koch initially served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a clerk and draughtsman in the Engineers Office in St. Louis. Although his English was poor, he was later commissioned as an officer and assigned to one of the Black regiments serving in Mississippi where he drew maps for the advancing Union forces.  By 1865 he is thought to have contracted malaria and at 25, was discharged from the army.

By 1868, Koch had become an itinerant Bird's Eye View engraver. His earliest dated views are of Cedar Falls, Vinton, and Waterloo, Iowa. At that point his career seemed to take off and in rapid succession, maps by Koch were produced in every section of the country. In 1870 he produced 5 maps in Utah, Wyoming and California.  In all, Koch produced over 100 views, including over 20 Texas Views, during a career of 30 years.  His last recorded view was produced in Montana in 1898. 

Reps notes that while Koch engraved fewer views than some of his contemporaries, "no American viewmaker traveled more widely in search of subjects. . . "