New Descriptive Price List of Popular Maps, Charts, Lithographs, Photographs, Steel Engravings, Framed Pictures…
SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS
Out of stock
Description
This uncommon price list presents a remarkable range of goods offered by George F. Cram in the mid-1870s. A Civil War veteran, Cram established his own publishing firm after working with his uncle, the prominent Chicago mapmaker Rufus Blanchard, and by this point had relocated his headquarters to 66 Lake Street in downtown Chicago. The firm had expanded well beyond map publishing into the wholesale distribution of an impressive assortment of printed materials and manufactured novelties.
Wholesale prices are provided for scores of items, many issued in connection with the 1876 Centennial, helping to date this ephemeral pamphlet. While the catalog opens with Cram’s well-known maps and charts, it quickly branches into lithographs, photographs, stationery, jewelry, and a curious array of practical and decorative novelties, from egg testers and corn huskers to perfumed shells. Traveling agents are urged to enter what is described as “undoubtedly the most profitable employment in which they can engage,” underscoring the entrepreneurial energy behind Cram’s expanding enterprise.
Map Details
Publication Date: c. 1876
Author: George F. Cram
Sheet Width (in): 5.25
Sheet Height (in): 9.75
Condition: B+
Condition Description: Double-sided sheet folded into five segments for distribution like a flyer. Moderate wear along folds, including small splits, and scattered foxing on both sides of the sheet. A few areas of darker damp staining, though the text remains legible and the paper intact. About good condition overall.
Out of stock