Illinois

Article description

Lithograph, hand-colored in outline by Johnson & Ward, published 1884 by O.W. Gray & Son, Philadelphia. Image size: 593 by 418mm (23 by 16 inches). From Johnson's New Illustrated Family Atlas — the leading American atlas of the Civil War era. A.J. Johnson (Alvin Jewett Johnson, 1827–1884) was a New York publisher who created one of the most popular American atlas series of the mid-19th century. Having acquired the plates from Joseph H. Colton in 1860, Johnson produced Johnson's New Illustrated Family Atlas in many editions, partnering first with Browning and then with Benjamin P. Ward (Johnson & Ward, 1863–1866). The Family Atlas went through numerous editions during and after the Civil War, incorporating the latest geographic, railroad, and statistical information. Johnson's maps were engraved on steel with the finest detail available and are distinguished by their vivid hand-applied outline coloring. They are today among the most recognizable and collectible American antique maps of the 19th century. This antique map of Illinois was published in 1884 by O.W. Gray & Son, Philadelphia (593 by 418mm (23 by 16 inches).). It is printed as a lithograph, hand-colored in outline. The map documents the region with careful attention to rivers, settlements, roads, and political boundaries, reflecting the geographical knowledge available at the time of publication and offering an invaluable primary source for historians and collectors of North American antique cartography. In very good to excellent condition. Water stain in the middle of the right border.

Johnson & Ward – Illinois · Antique Map, Lithograph · 593 x 418mm · O.W. Gray & Son, Philadelphia 1884