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Description

An absolutely fantastic bird's-eye view map of Wisconsin, extending from Chicago in the lower right to Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth in the upper-left corner.

The map was produced at the high point of American chromolithography and exhibits all of the best qualities of what was possible in color printing at that time. The verdant country is rendered manageable by the interesting format of the view-map. Most cities and even many smaller towns are rendered in a evocative pictorial style. Distances seem not so large in the context of the image.

Views of this kind were very popular in New England and the Northeast during the very end of the 19th century and the first decade or so of the 20th. However they are far scarcer from the Midwest and other regions. This is the first time we have encountered this image.

The map was produced for the North-Western Line railroad and printed by Orcutt Co. of Chicago.

Dating

The map makes reference to the Chicago World's Fair, indicating a date around 1893. The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was known as "The North-Western Line" from 1891-1902, further corroborating this date. It seems likely that a careful reading of the verso text will give more information on the dating of the map.

Rarity

While it seems likely that other examples will be found, this is the first that we have seen. A general internet search does not turn up any other examples of the image. According to our searches OCLC does not list another example.

Condition Description
Folding map, printed front and back.