Fabulous turn-of-the-century property map of Sacramento County.
Official Map of Sacramento County, California. Compiled from Official Surveys by J. C. Boyd, County Surveyor. 1903
Out of stock
Description
This is a large wall map attached to its original wooden dowels. It depicts Sacramento County in extensive detail, from the low delta lands between the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, north to about ten miles beyond the State Capitol and east into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The southernmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to San Francisco Bay.
A compilation of drafting, survey work, and confirmation studies by official county surveyor J. C. Boyd, this is above all a property map, with boundary lines and owner names delineated in remarkable detail. The focal point of the county is of course the city of Sacramento, the state capitol of California. Railroad and road (both private and county) networks can be seen spreading out from the city, the urban grid of which is drawn. A table shows distances from the Sacramento City Court House to other locations within the county. Levees, cemeteries, postal receiving boxes, and schools are also plotted.
The important natural features of the county are elegantly represented, including its major watercourses: the American River, the Sacramento River, the Cosumnes River, a tributary of the Mokelumne River, and Dry Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River. Shading is used to depict topography. An inset map at bottom shows Sherman Island, an island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta at the confluence of the two rivers in Sacramento County, across from the city of Antioch.
Adorning the map in the upper-middle right is a series of wonderful photographic vignettes displaying prominent features of Sacramento County, including the State Capitol building and State Bank, Folsom State Prison, Buffalo Brewing Co., bridges, fields, the Sacramento City Post Office and waterfront, and, of course, Sutter’s Fort.
Cartographer(s):
Britton & Rey (1852 – 1906) was a lithographic printing firm based in San Francisco and founded by Joseph Britton and Jacques Joseph Rey in 1852. Especially during the second half of the 19th century, Britton and Rey became the leading lithography firm in San Francisco, and probably California. Among their many publications were birds-eye-views of Californian cities, depictions of the exquisite landscapes, stock certificates, and no least maps. While Rey was the primary artist, Britton worked not only as the main lithographer but was essentially also the man running the business. In addition to their own material, the firm reproduced the works of other American artists like Thomas Almond Ayres (1816 – 1858), George Holbrook Baker (1824 – 1906), Charles Christian Nahl (1818 – 1878), and Frederick August Wenderoth (1819 – 1884). Following Rey’s death in 1892 Britton passed the form on to Rey’s son, Valentine J. A. Rey, who ran it until the great earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed most of the company’s assets.
Joseph Britton (1825 – July 18, 1901) was a lithographer and the co-founder of the prominent San Francisco lithography studio Britton and Rey. He was also a civic leader in San Francisco, serving on the Board of Supervisors and helping to draft a new city charter. In 1852, he became active in lithography and publishing, first under the name ‘Pollard and Britton,’ and then ‘Britton and Rey,’ a printing company founded with his friend and eventual brother-in-law Jacques Joseph Rey. Britton and Rey became the premier lithographic and engraving studio of the Gold Rush era, producing letter sheets, maps, and artistic prints.
Jacques Joseph Rey (1820 – 1892) was a French engraver and lithographer born in the Alsatian town of Bouxwiller. At the age of about 30, he emigrated to America, eventually settling in California. Here, he soon entered into a partnership with local entrepreneur and civic leader Joseph Britton. Three years later, Rey also married Britton’s sister, allowing his business partner and brother-in-law Britton to live in their house with them. Rey and Britton were not only an important part of the San Francisco printing and publishing scene but also owned a plumbing and gas-fitting firm. In the early years, both men would sometimes partner up with others on specific projects, but by the late 1860s, their partnership was more or less exclusive.
H. J. FurleyCondition Description
In very good condition for a wall map of this size and age. Some discoloration and staining along the top and bottom. Minor cracking and chipping in the map image.
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