Item number: BOS099
Genuine Antique Hand-Colored Map
c. 1875
Maker: Colton
Antique map of Boston, Massachusetts, published by Colton, c. 1875. Includes the Back Bay area before the fill was complete but with lightly rendered streets that indicate the plan was in the works, Charlestown, East Boston, South Boston, Roxbury, East Cambridge, and parts of Somerville. In 1814, the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation was chartered to construct a milldam, which would also serve as a toll road connecting Boston to Watertown, bypassing Boston Neck. The dam prevented the natural tides from flushing sewage out to sea, creating severe sanitary and odor problems. With costs higher and power lower than expected, in the end, the project was an economic failure, and in 1857 a massive project was begun to "make land" by filling the area enclosed by the dam. Present-day Back Bay itself was filled by 1882; the project reached existing land at what is now Kenmore Square in 1890, and finished in the Fens in 1900. Shows outline of city blocks, names of major streets, railroads, and points of interest. Original hand-coloring. The Colton firm refused to compromise quality, choosing to compete for sales in the finer quality international market rather than the inexpensive domestic one. Because of this, all maps were engraved by steel plates rather than by wax engraving which became the most common method used in the US. Good to very good overall antique condition with some mild toning throughout, slightly faded color, some tiny spots, and some wear and small tears at the paper edges. Tape has been applied in a few places in the margins, and it may not be archival. Measures approximately 14.5" x 11.75" to the neatline.
Genuine Antique Map from circa 1875.
Item Number: BOS099