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Description

Impressive topographical map of the Western United States, representing the general keymap from Clarence King's 1876 Geological and Topographical Atlas Accompanying the Report of the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel.

Wheat notes of the King work: "These are pioneer survey maps, and as such are most interesting. Mapping the West in so broad a cross-section had never before been attempted, a portent of things to come."

King's map gives a precise overview of the topography of the American West. The five sheets from later in King's atlas are outlined in red.

Rumsey says of this map:

Map in what came to be known as "plastic shading." The development of halftone lithography made this technique possible. The technique depicts surface features by brush shading rather than the more conventional hachuring. The map is in brown tones with the index maps highlighted in red.

Rarity

Though it appears in King's atlas, the map is very scarce on the market, this being the first time we have had it.

Condition Description
Minor soiling, mostly in the blank margins.
Reference
Rumsey 0408.000; Wheat 1270; Schwartz & Ehrenberg p. 307.
Julius Bien Biography

Julius Bien (1826-1909) was a German-born American lithographer and cartographer, renowned for his significant contributions to American cartography during the 19th century. Born on September 27, 1826, in Naumburg, Germany, Bien originally trained in his homeland, mastering the nascent craft of chromolithography, a method for producing multi-color prints.

In the 1850s, Bien emigrated to the United States, where he set up his own lithography firm, Julius Bien & Co., in New York. His innovative techniques and meticulous attention to detail quickly earned him a reputation as one of the country's leading lithographers. The firm became known for its wide range of work, from maps and atlases to commercial prints and illustrations.

One of Bien's most significant collaborations was with the U.S. government, particularly the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In the late 19th century, the USGS undertook the ambitious project of mapping the entire United States. Bien's firm was responsible for producing many of these topographical maps, and he introduced advanced printing techniques that enhanced their clarity, precision, and detail.

However, not all of Bien's ventures were successful. His attempt at reproducing a double elephant folio edition of Audubon's Birds of America in the 1860s, for instance, was left incomplete due to financial challenges posed by the Civil War. Despite this, many of the plates he did produce for this edition are considered masterpieces of chromolithography.

Julius Bien passed away on December 21, 1909, in New York. His contributions to lithography and cartography in the U.S. left a lasting legacy, with many of his techniques becoming standard practice in the field. His maps, in particular, serve as a testament to the evolving understanding and depiction of the American landscape during a period of rapid westward expansion and scientific exploration.