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"One of the great landmarks of the ‘golden age’ of American lithography” (Thompson).
Rare birdseye view of Bangor, Maine, based on a painting by John William Hill, often called the finest artist of American City views of his period.
As stated by Deak:
Each segment of his large Bangor view has been drawn with scrupulous care, including the seemingly casual compositional elements making up the foreground: scattered logs, a lazy cow, a cluster of children, and the ribbed anatomy of a boat just now abuilding.
Hill combines the detail of daily life with a meticulous rendition of Bangor, giving the view a remarkably realistic quality, which comes through clearly in Charles Parsons' lithography, which includes streets and open areas filled with people at various activities.
Across the Penobscot River, at the left side of the view, the paddlewheel steamboat Boston is docked, with the Daniel Webster plying the river further to the left. The view also contains much detail reflecting Bangor’s importance at the time as a great depot for the lumber industry. In the foreground at the left is a vivid illustration of Bangor's ship building industry, with a second ship being built at the far right, and a lumber facility on the river just beyond.
The view was published by the Smith brothers, whose firm was noted for the very high quality of its views, of which only two were ever produced of Maine cities, Portland being the other one.
Deak, G. G. Picturing America, no. 675
Reps 1177.
![[ Maine ] Neueste Karte von Maine Nach den bessten Quellen verbessert 1845.](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/101429.jpg)
![[Portland & Cape Elizabeth to Moskito Island -- Centered on Kennebec River]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/50079.jpg)
