A late 19th century Cable Railway map with early bike shop advertisement.
Bancroft’s Map of the Cable Railway System and Connections of San Francisco. 1890.
Out of stock
Description
This 1890 Bancroft map delineates the city’s late 19th-century transit network. Even more striking is its extensive array of advertisements, which have been added in red overprint. These include an advertisement for The Cyclery, a bicycle shop located at 513 Stanyan Street, a piano company, real estate agents, dentists, and more. The verso is filled with more advertisements, including one for the Battle of Gettysburg museum located on Market Street.
Cartographer(s):
Hubert Howe Bancroft (May 5, 1832 – March 2, 1918) was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote, published and collected works concerning the western United States, Texas, California, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and British Columbia.
In March 1852, Bancroft was provided with an inventory of books to sell and was sent to the booming California city of San Francisco to set up a West Coast regional office of the firm. Bancroft was successful in building his company, entering the world of publishing in the process. He also became a serious collector of books, building a collection numbering into the tens of thousands of volumes.
In 1868, he resigned from his business in favor of his brother, A. L. Bancroft. He had accumulated a great library of historical material and abandoned business to devote himself entirely to writing and publishing history.
Condition Description
Evidence of old repair visible on verso, minor separation along fold lines, visible stains.
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