New CO Material!

George F. Cram
Map of Colorado
Lithograph
Framed size: 22 3/4” x 18 3/4” Sheet size: 14 1/2” x 10 1/2”
Chicago: Geographical Publishing Co., late 19th c.

George F. Cram was born in 1841 and enjoyed an early career as a soldier serving under the legendary General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Civil War. In 1867 he embarked on a map publishing career with his uncle, Rufus Blanchard. They named their company Blanchard & Cram and based it in Evanston, Illinois. Cram became the sole owner of the business two years later, renaming it the George F. Cram Company and relocating it to Chicago. In 1869, Cram became the first American publisher to produce a world atlas, and his name quickly became synonymous with accuracy and innovation. He released the Unrivalled Family Atlas in 1883, the Illustrated Atlas in 1885, the Unrivalled Atlas in 1887, the American Railway System Atlas in 1891, and the Universal Atlas in 1894.





U.S.P.R.R Exp. & Surveys - 47th & 49th Parallels (General Report)
Chromolithographs (c.1850) of
Railroad surveys in Colorado
Paper size: approximately 11" x 8.5"
Framed size: 16”x14”

Sarony, Major & Knapp: Born in Quebec City, Napoleon Sarony learned lithography from his father and emigrated to New York in 1836. There, he worked as an apprentice for several lithographers, including Nathaniel Currier. In 1846 Sarony opened a lithographic business in partnership with Henry Major. The company went through a number of alterations in names and partnerships. Until 1853, it was called 'Sarony and Major'. From 1853 to 1857, it bore the title which appears on this original lithograph, 'Sarony & Company'. From 1857 to 1864, the company name was expanded to, 'Sarony, Major & Knapp'. Later, the company would assume the title of the 'American Lithographic Company', and became the largest such business in North America.

Sarony and Company printed and published everything from advertising posters and trade cards to fine art prints. Napoleon Sarony left the partnership in 1864 to pursue a new career in photography. Students of early photography will at once recognize his name as he rose to become one of America's most famous pioneers in this field.

*Please call for prices