Glimpse of Lake Michigan

“Chicago is as incomparable, in its own way, as Rome.”

This lovely hand-colored view of Lake Michigan provides a tantalizing look into the idyllic early days of the greater Chicagoland region. A boatman can be seen poling his way along one of the numerous streams that feed into the lake, partially blocked by heavy foliage. Two primary means of transportation – carriage and sailing ship – are also included within the image. The verso of the sheet presents a full-page illustration of Kanab Canyon in Utah.

The view was drawn by Alfred Waud, an artist best known today for his illustrations made for Harper’s Weekly during the American Civil War. One of Waud’s descendants, Cornelius, would later become the mayor of Lake Forest, Illinois.

The print was included in Picturesque America, a popular two-volume publication issued in New York by D. Appleton & Company in 1872. The work’s numerous essays and hundreds of engravings had a profound impact on American cultural identity and conservation practices in the late 19th century.