The City of Chicago.

Description

This rare bird’s-eye view of Chicago offers a unique perspective on the urban landscape of The Windy City in the 1870s. It vividly portrays the evolution of a place transformed from a sleepy frontier settlement along a marshy lakefront to an industrial and economic powerhouse in just fifty years. The hand-colored lithograph was originally created by Parsons & Atwater and published by the iconic New York firm of Currier & Ives in 1874 – only three years after the Great Chicago Fire. This example was a special issue for the 1892 Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in Chicago.

In this captivating aerial view, we are witnessing the city’s transformation into a modern metropolis. Rising from the ashes of the old city, Chicago began to expand dramatically, and the boom naturally attracted a growing number of working-class immigrants. By the late 1870s, Chicago’s population had surged to more than 400,000 residents, a staggering increase from the 1850 census, which counted just over 30,000 inhabitants. Fueled by employment opportunities, the population boom is seen clearly in the tightly packed housing surrounding a well-organized industrial infrastructure.

In addition to a growing population, Chicago established itself as a vital hub for transporting raw materials and manufactured goods from the east to the Western Frontier. This was mainly accomplished through an elaborate network of rivers and canals and an ever-expanding railway. Both of these features are clearly represented in this view. Along the canals, factories bustle with marine traffic, while the active lakefront is full of tall ships and steamers. The city is teeming with life, from moving trains and horse-drawn carriages to people strolling along the lakefront.

Along the bottom, the view labels several prominent Chicago landmarks and buildings, most of which are also rendered in vivid detail. Notable locations include the Union Stock Yards, Brighton Trotting Park, McCormick Reaper Works, Chicago Malleable Iron Works, the Michigan Southern, Chicago Rock Island & Pacific railroad depot, the Palmer House, Tribune Building, Douglas Park, St. James Church, Water Works (featuring the Chicago Water Tower), Washington Square, and Lincoln Park.