Bird’s Eye View of the White Mountains

An inviting aerial perspective of the White Mountains from the late 19th century.

This spectacular bird’s-eye view of New Hampshire’s White Mountains captures the popular tourist region nearing the height of its Gilded Age opulence. A number of hotels ranging from upscale luxury resorts to modest backwoods retreats are pictured and labeled, including the Crawford House, Willey House, Fabyan House, and Summit House – the last accessible via carriage road or the Mount Washington Cog Railway. A few other railways are noted, including the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad and the narrow-gauge Profile & Franconia Notch Railroad.

In addition to the tourist infrastructure, the natural beauty of the White Mountains is also captured within the wood-engraved image. Over thirty different geographic features are numbered and identified in the lower margin, in addition to numerous labeled lakes and rivers. Thick forests blanket much of the landscape, with only isolated post offices, hotels, and small towns punctuating the wilderness.

The map was copyrighted by Hugh J. Chisholm and was originally issued as part of his 1888 White Mountains Guide-book. Chisholm and his broader family of publishers (which included his brother, C. R. Chisholm) created a number of regional travelogues spanning from Portland to Montreal between the mid-1860s and the late 1880s. The White Mountain Guide Book was published in at least five editions, including reprints into the early 1900s.