Transportation

Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.

In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.

This tinted lithograph of “Mission and Plain of San Fernando” was originally drawn by an expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate VI following page 74 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Mission and Plain of San Fernando” was originally drawn by an expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate VI following page 74 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake (1826-1910), Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of Volume V, Part II of the "Report of Lieutenant R. S. Williamson (1825-1882), Corps of Topographical Engineers, Upon the Routes in California to Connect with the Routes Near the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-second Parallels" by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson ... in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) in Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
Blake, William Phipps
original artist
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.38
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Mirage on the Colorado River” was prepared after an original sketch by ah expedition geologist and artist William P. Blake (1826-1910). It was printed as Plate XII in Volume V, Part II following page 250 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description
This tinted lithograph of “Mirage on the Colorado River” was prepared after an original sketch by ah expedition geologist and artist William P. Blake (1826-1910). It was printed as Plate XII in Volume V, Part II following page 250 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of Volume V, Part II of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
expedition leader
Williamson, Robert Stockton
author
Blake, William Phipps
original artist
Blake, William Phipps
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.32
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Great Basin from the Summit of Tejon Pass” was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate V in Volume V, Part II following page 50 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Great Basin from the Summit of Tejon Pass” was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate V in Volume V, Part II following page 50 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
original artist
Koppel, Charles
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
original artist
Koppel, Charles
ID Number
GA.10729.33
accession number
62261
This is the original builder’s half hull model of the famous ship Young America, constructed by the renowned shipbuilder William Webb in 1852/53 at his New York shipyard.
Description
This is the original builder’s half hull model of the famous ship Young America, constructed by the renowned shipbuilder William Webb in 1852/53 at his New York shipyard. Measuring 243 feet long on deck and 1,961 tons, the Young America was an extreme clipper, characterized by a sharp bow and long, narrow hull. Constructed lightly for speed and commonly sailing the harsh waters of Cape Horn off the southern tip of South America with crews of up to 100 men, clippers often lasted only about ten years before being sold to foreign owners.
Costing $140,000 to build, the Young America set a number of speed records. It sailed from New York to San Francisco 20 times, averaging 118 days per trip. Its reputation for strength and speed earned high freight rates—its maiden voyage from New York to San Francisco earned $86,400. The clipper traded mainly between Liverpool, New York and San Francisco, but also sailed to China, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, the Philippines, Mauritius and other countries. After a very long and profitable 30-year career, the Young America was sold to Austrian owners in 1883 and renamed the Miroslav. In February 1886, the ship cleared Delaware for a trading voyage and was never seen again.
Half hull models were the first step in the construction of a ship. They were carved out of horizontal strips of wood known as lifts, and only one side was needed since ships are symmetrical. After a model was approved, its lines were taken (measured) and it was disassembled. Then the lines were lofted, or drawn at full scale on the floor. The actual ship’s frames were cut to fit the lines on the floor and then set in place along the keel during the construction process. Sometimes the models were discarded or even burned as firewood after use, but many original examples are preserved today.
Date made
1853
sold and renamed
1883
ship disappeared after setting sail from Delaware
1886
maker
Webb, William H.
ID Number
TR.160135
catalog number
160135
accession number
15059
The Buckeye State was built at Shousetown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh. In 1849 the hull was completed and hauled up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh to be finished. Under the supervision of David Holmes, the Buckeye State was completed in February 1850.
Description
The Buckeye State was built at Shousetown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh. In 1849 the hull was completed and hauled up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh to be finished. Under the supervision of David Holmes, the Buckeye State was completed in February 1850. It was owned and operated by the Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line, which ran it regularly on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The company owned six or seven steamers at a time, and ran daily departures between the two cities. By the mid-1840s the Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line was praised by a Pittsburgh newspaper editor as “the greatest convenience . . . ever afforded the citizens on the banks of the Upper Ohio.”
On May 1, 1850 the Buckeye State left Cincinnati for Pittsburgh and completed the trip in a record 43 hours. Under Capt. Sam Dean, the steamer made 24 stops along the route, needing coal once and wood three times. One hundred years later, the Buckeye State still held the record for the fastest trip ever made by a steamboat between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
In 1851, showman P. T. Barnum organized a race between the Buckeye State and the Messenger No. 2 as a publicity stunt to advertise Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind’s American tour. Steamboat racing was growing in popularity, and so a race was the perfect promotion. Although Lind and Barnum were aboard the Messenger No. 2, the Buckeye State won the race. The Buckeye State continued its service up and down the Ohio for six more years until it was retired and dismantled in 1857.
date made
1963
construction completed on Buckeye State
1850-02
Buckeye State retired
1857
participated in a steamboat race
1857
owned and operated by
Pittsburgh & Cincinnati Packet Line
supervised construction of Buckeye State
Holmes, David
captain of the Buckeye State
Dean, Sam
maker
Boucher-Lewis Precision Models, Inc.
ID Number
TR.322425
catalog number
322425
accession number
247839
The ocean steamer George Law was built in 1852/53 at New York, NY by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the Law measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons.
Description
The ocean steamer George Law was built in 1852/53 at New York, NY by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the Law measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons. It was built to sail the New York-Panama route for the California gold rush; on its return maiden voyage from Panama, it brought 465 passengers and $872,831 in gold to New York. Over more than 40 bi-monthly trips, the Law averaged slightly less than nine days per leg. In 1857, the ship went aground and returned to the Webb yard for a major overhaul.
The Law’s name was changed to the Central America during the rebuilding, possibly to reflect its most common route and because George Law had sold his interest in the company. On the vessel’s second trip under the new name, it cleared Havana, Cuba for New York on 8 September 1857. Two days later, during a gale south of South Carolina, a bad leak was discovered and the main boilers had to be shut down. On the 12th, some passengers were rescued by passing ships, but the Central America sank that night with 425 passengers and $2,189,000 in gold bullion from the San Francisco Mint. The loss helped fuel the Panic of 1857, which sent the nation into an economic recession that lasted into the Civil War.
In 1987 the wreck of the Central America was discovered in more than 8,000 feet of water depth, and treasure salvors recovered much of the gold bullion and coinage.
date made
1961
ship built
1852-1853
ship sank
1857-09-12
wreck discovered by treasure salvers
1987
owned ship
New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company
designer
Webb, William H.
maker
Webb, William H.
Boucher-Lewis Precision Models, Inc.
ID Number
TR.318465
catalog number
318465
accession number
236170
This golden snuffbox mounted with diamonds in the shape of a crown atop the letter N was presented to Joseph Francis by Emperor Napoleon III of France on 4 February 1856.
Description
This golden snuffbox mounted with diamonds in the shape of a crown atop the letter N was presented to Joseph Francis by Emperor Napoleon III of France on 4 February 1856. It was presented to Francis for his lifesaving inventions, which had saved the lives of many French citizens. It is inscribed on the inside of the top:

Par Empereur Napoléon III
a Joseph Francis New York
le 4 Février 1856

The snuffbox was donated to the Smithsonian in 1890 by Joseph Francis himself, along with a gold medal he received for his lifesaving efforts and inventions via an 1888 act of Congress.
date made
ca 1856
recipient
Francis, Joseph
presenter
Napoleon III Emperor of France
ID Number
PL.005695
accession number
23240
catalog number
5695
The obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale tooth has a large whaleship carved into its surface, sailing away from the viewer with all sails set. Two empty whaleboat davits on the starboard or right side indicate that the boats are actively hunting.
Description
The obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale tooth has a large whaleship carved into its surface, sailing away from the viewer with all sails set. Two empty whaleboat davits on the starboard or right side indicate that the boats are actively hunting. An etched sawtooth frame encircles the ship. The other side is carved with an eagle with outstretched wings; in one talon it grips three arrows and in the other is a leafy vine. In its beak is a long banner containing the words (from top to bottom) "ABRAHAM CARR/1853/SAG HARBOUR L.I." Like the front, the eagle and banner are framed by a sawtooth pattern, and the entire tooth has a swag top and bottom encircling both sides of the tooth. In the 19th century, Sag Harbor, NY was a major Atlantic whaling port. The fine detail of this freehand-drawn tooth indicates a highly skilled and experienced scrimshaw artist.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or it could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1853
ID Number
1978.0052.22
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.22
This small porcelain cup was recovered by a sport diver from the wreck of the steamer Indiana. Its findspot was not recorded, so it is not known whether it belonged to a crewman or was aboard for use by passengers at mealtimes.
Description
This small porcelain cup was recovered by a sport diver from the wreck of the steamer Indiana. Its findspot was not recorded, so it is not known whether it belonged to a crewman or was aboard for use by passengers at mealtimes.
Date made
ca 1858
ID Number
1993.0441.01
catalog number
1993.0441.01
accession number
1993.0441
In 1840, Canadian Samuel Cunard inaugurated regular transatlantic steamship service from Liverpool, England to North America.
Description
In 1840, Canadian Samuel Cunard inaugurated regular transatlantic steamship service from Liverpool, England to North America. Within a few years, he had two competitors, one of whom was American Edward Knight Collins (1802-1878), owner of the Dramatic Line of Atlantic sailing packets.
Collins had been lobbying the U.S. government for nearly a decade for the subsidy of an American overseas steamship mail service, and in 1847 Congress authorized an annual transatlantic mail contract for $385,000. Won by Collins, the contract called for five steamships and bimonthly mail service from New York to Liverpool.
Collins founded the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company (known as the Collins Line) and commissioned the four sister steamships Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Baltic. When service started in 1850, the Collins ships were the fastest, largest, and most magnificently appointed steamships in the world, with stained glass skylights, steam heat in the public rooms and 3,500-bottle wine cellars.
This painting shows the arrival of the Collins liner Atlantic in May 1850 after her maiden voyage from New York to Liverpool. Measuring 282 feet long and 2,856 tons, the Atlantic set a speed record on this passage, while consuming 87 tons of coal per day. Although the Collins line ceased operations in February 1858, the Atlantic was acquired by the U.S. Government for Civil War service. After the war it was operated by other owners until scrapped in 1871.
date made
1800s
US Congress awarded an annual transatlantic mail contract to Collins
1847
Collins Line service started
1850
Collins Line service ended
1858
Atlantic acquired by the government for Civil War service
1858
Atlantic scrapped
1871
Collins steamship line
New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company
ship owner
Collins, Edward Knight
ship owner and Knight's competitor
Cunard, Samuel
built SS <I>Atlantic</I>
Dramatic Line of Atlantic Sailing Packets
maker
Louis Honore Frederick Gamain
ID Number
TR.336491
accession number
1978.0362
catalog number
336491
As maritime traffic expanded in the early 19th century, especially with the rise in passenger travel, water safety became a top priority for American shipping inventors.
Description
As maritime traffic expanded in the early 19th century, especially with the rise in passenger travel, water safety became a top priority for American shipping inventors. This life-car, patented by Joseph Francis in 1845, was one of the most successful life-preserving devices developed at the time. Buoyant and pod-shaped, the metal life-car was used to rescue shipwreck victims when the vessel was foundering near land. While standing on the beach, a person from a lifesaving station used a cannon-like gun to shoot sturdy lines out to the ship, which would then be tied to the ship’s mast. The life-car was attached to, and pulled, along these lines. Up to four people were bolted into the airtight compartment. They laid flat as they were hauled through the rough waters to the safety of the shore.
This life-car was first used on January 12, 1850, to rescue the stranded British bark Ayrshire. The ship, most likely filled with Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine, ran aground on a sand bar off the New Jersey shore at Squan Beach, now known as Manasquan. A blinding snow storm made the ocean too dangerous to launch a surfboat, the usual method of rescue, so local lifesavers decided to launch the newly installed, experimental life-car. Although never tested in an actual emergency, the Francis life-car performed as envisioned.
Out of 166 passengers and 36 crew members on the Ayrshire, only one was lost, perhaps needlessly, in the short journey from ship to shore. A male passenger insisted on riding on top of the life-car while his family inside was hauled to safety. He could not hold on and was washed away by the surf. Over the next three years, this device rescued at least 1,400 people on the New Jersey shore alone, as well as countless amounts of valuable cargo. The original, groundbreaking life-car used in the Ayrshire wreck was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Joseph Francis in 1885.
date made
late 1840s
patented
1845
Life-Car first used to rescue Ayrshire
1850-01-12
Life-Car donated to the Smithsonian Institution
1885
patentee
Francis, Joseph
ID Number
TR.160322
catalog number
160322
accession number
16136
In 1845, Joseph Francis patented the use of stamped corrugated metal to make boats. Through collaboration with the Novelty Iron Works in New York, he began to manufacture lifeboats, military cutters, and coastal rescue craft, along with other marine safety gear.
Description
In 1845, Joseph Francis patented the use of stamped corrugated metal to make boats. Through collaboration with the Novelty Iron Works in New York, he began to manufacture lifeboats, military cutters, and coastal rescue craft, along with other marine safety gear. His sturdy products proved popular, and he sold many to commercial steamship operators, life-saving stations, and the United States Navy. By 1853, strong sales warranted the construction of a dedicated factory at Green Point, New York, where each hydraulic press could turn out parts for 40 boats a day. Francis continually experimented with new designs for his stamping process, and this patent model reflects changes to the shape of his boats’ corrugations that he developed in the late 1850s.
Joseph Francis (1801-93) is best known today for designing an enclosed rescue craft called a life-car, which was extensively used in coastal life-saving stations in the second half of the 19th century. The first life-car he made was used to spectacular effect in the rescue of all but one of the passengers and crew of the immigrant vessel Ayrshire, which ran aground on the New Jersey shore in a storm in January 1850. The Smithsonian preserves that life-car in addition to numerous models and ephemera documenting Joseph Francis’s work.
Date made
1858
patent date
1858-03-23
patentee
Francis, Joseph
manufacturer
Novelty Iron Works
inventor
Francis, Joseph
ID Number
TR.308546
catalog number
308546
accession number
89797
patent number
19,693
Operating out of New York, the Black Ball Line pioneered scheduled packet ship service to Liverpool, England in 1818, and the firm continued operating until it was dissolved in 1879.
Description
Operating out of New York, the Black Ball Line pioneered scheduled packet ship service to Liverpool, England in 1818, and the firm continued operating until it was dissolved in 1879. Its success resulted from focusing on the lucrative passenger trade, at a time when immigration to the United States was at its highest level.
In 1851, the massive three-deck packet Isaac Webb was the seventh and last Black Baller launched from the shipyard of famous New York shipbuilder William H. Webb, who also owned a 1/16 share of the ship. Named after the builder’s father, the Isaac Webb measured 185 feet in length and 1,359 tons. It made about four round trips per year between New York and Liverpool, England from 1851–1879. The average length of a passage was 37 days, with the shortest voyage recorded as 25 days.
In June 1863, while westbound from Liverpool to New York with 658 passengers, the Isaac Webb was captured by the Confederate commerce raider Florida. A bond for a $40,000 ransom freed the ship to complete the passage. In late December 1866, while westbound for New York, the Webb encountered a gale so cold that it killed three crew, and several others were badly frostbitten. On the same passage nearly two years later, another powerful gale killed the captain.
The Isaac Webb continued to sail after the Black Ball Line closed. In late October 1880, while bound from Europe to New York, it was abandoned at sea by its crew of 24, who were rescued by a passing steamship bound for Boston. British marine painter Samuel Walters completed this oil painting around 1851, when the ship was new.
Date made
1851
ship was launched
1851
ship made transatlantic voyages from New York and Liverpool
1851-1880
ship was abandoned
1880-10
shipping firm
Black Ball Line
shipbuilder
Webb, William H.
ship's namesake
Webb, Isaac
maker
Walters, Samuel
ID Number
TR.317527
catalog number
317527
accession number
229943
The sidewheel steamer George Law was built in 1852/53 at New York by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the Law measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons.
Description
The sidewheel steamer George Law was built in 1852/53 at New York by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the Law measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons. It was built to sail the New York-Panama route for the California gold rush. In 43 round trips between 1852 and 1857, the ship carried as much as a third of all the gold found in California. In 1857, the ship went aground and returned to the Webb yard for a major overhaul. The Law's name was changed to Central America during the rebuilding, possibly to reflect its most common route and because its namesake had sold his interest in the company.
On September 3, 1857, the Central America left Panama for New York City with nearly 600 passengers and crew, as well as thousands of new $20 Double Eagle gold coins produced at the San Francisco mint. Nine days later, the vessel sank in a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the deadliest peacetime shipwreck in American history. Four hundred twenty-five people perished in the wreck, and tons of California gold went to the bottom. The wreck horrified and fascinated the American public and helped fuel a financial crisis known as the Panic of 1857. Without the Central America’s gold, several New York banks were unable to pay their creditors.
In 1858, President James Buchanan gave this ornamental silver speaking trumpet to the captain of the German bark Laura for bringing the Central America’s final three survivors to New York. Actually, the British brig Mary had rescued the men after nine horrific days on the open sea. However, the Mary was bound for Ireland, so it transferred the survivors to the New York-bound Laura. The inscription reads:
“The President of the United States to Capt. Martin Brinckmann of the Bremen Bark Laura for his humane zealous and successful efforts in rescuing one of the Passengers and two of the Crew of the Steamer Central America from the perils of the Sea. 1858”
Date made
1858
ID Number
1980.0464.01
catalog number
1980.0464.01
80.0464.01
accession number
1980.0464
Very little is known of Lewis Temple's early life. Born around 1800 to slave parents in Richmond, Virginia , by 1829 he had moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he married.
Description
Very little is known of Lewis Temple's early life. Born around 1800 to slave parents in Richmond, Virginia , by 1829 he had moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he married. By 1836, he had a blacksmith shop on a local wharf, where he made shipsmithing items like spikes, harpoons, rigging elements, cargo hooks, barrel hoop and other iron ship fittings.
Temple developed a simple but significant refinement to the harppon: the so-called Temple toggle iron or gig. This feature at the tip of a harpoon offered a more secure way to hook into a whale. Unfortunately, Temple never patented his idea, which swiftly achieved widespread application throughout the world's whale fisheries. He died in May 1854, unrecognized and in debt.
While Lewis Temple did not invent the toggle, his invention made it better. The first barb at the tip of the dart was designed to penetrate the whale's flesh, and the second barb also went straight in. A small wooden peg holding the lower barb in place would then break when the whale pulled away, allowing the barbed head to swivel away from the shaft. The new T-shape of the barb prevented the dart from pulling out of its wound.
date made
ca 1859
inventor
Temple, Lewis
ID Number
TR.330535A
catalog number
330535a
accession number
294088
This colored lithograph of "Buteo calurus [Cassin]," now "Buteo jamaicensis calurus" or Red-tailed Hawk, is believed to have been drawn on stone by William E.
Description (Brief)
This colored lithograph of "Buteo calurus [Cassin]," now "Buteo jamaicensis calurus" or Red-tailed Hawk, is believed to have been drawn on stone by William E. Hitchcock (ca 1822-ca 1906), lithographed by Bowen & Company of Philadelphia (ca 1840-1870), and likely hand colored by Bowen firm colorists or Lavinia Bowen (ca 1820- ca 1872).
The image was published as Plate XIV in the "Zoological Portion of the Reports by Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith, Third Artillery, upon the Route near the 38th and 39th Parallels, surveyed by Captain J. W. Gunnison, Corps of Topographical Engineers, and upon the route near the Forty–First Parallel, surveyed by Lieut. E. G. Beckwith, Third Artillery.” The report was published in volume X of the “Reports and Surveys to Ascertain the Most Practable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean ... 1853, 1856, Volume X," printed in 1859 by Beverley Tucker of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date on report
1854
date printed in book
1859
original artist
Cassin, John
publisher
U.S. War Department
author
Beckwith, Edward Griffin
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
ID Number
GA.16332.017
accession number
1930.110179
catalog number
16332.017
This colored lithograph of "Centurus uropyglialis [Baird], now Melanerpes uropyglialis" or Gila Woodpecker, is believed to have been originally drawn by C. B. R. Kennerly (1830-1861) and H. B. Mollhausen (1825-1905), then drawn on stone by William E.
Description
This colored lithograph of "Centurus uropyglialis [Baird], now Melanerpes uropyglialis" or Gila Woodpecker, is believed to have been originally drawn by C. B. R. Kennerly (1830-1861) and H. B. Mollhausen (1825-1905), then drawn on stone by William E. Hitchcock (ca 1822-ca 1906), lithographed by Bowen & Company of Philadelphia (ca 1840-1870), and likely hand colored by Bowen firm colorists or Lavinia Bowen (ca 1820- ca 1872).
The image was published as Plate XXXVI in the Zoological Report, Volume X, Part VI, No. 3, following page 35 in C. B. R. Kennerly's "Report Upon the Birds of the Route" (near the 35th Parallel explored by Lieutenant Whipple in 1853 and 1855). The report was published in the volume “Reports and Surveys to Ascertain the Most Practable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean ... 1853, 1856, Volume X," printed in 1859 by Beverley Tucker of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date of book publication
1859
1859
author
Whipple, Amiel Weeks
Ives, Joseph Christmas
original artist
Kennerley, Caleb Burwell Rowan
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
original artist
Mollhausen, H. B.
ID Number
GA.16332.089
catalog number
16332.089
accession number
1930.110179
This colored lithograph of Buteo elegans [Cassin] (Red-shouldered Hawk) is believed to have been drawn on stone by William E.
Description (Brief)
This colored lithograph of Buteo elegans [Cassin] (Red-shouldered Hawk) is believed to have been drawn on stone by William E. Hitchcock (ca 1822-ca 1906), lithographed by Bowen & Company of Philadelphia (ca 1840-1870), and likely hand colored by Bowen firm colorists or Lavinia Bowen (ca 1820- ca 1872).
The image was published as Plate II in the Zoological Report, Volume X, Part IV, No. 2 in A. L. Heermann's "Report Upon the Birds Collected on the Survey (between San Francisco and Fort Yuma, California)", following page 80. The report was published in the larger volume “Report of Explorations in California for Railroad Routes to Connect with the Routes near the 35th and 32nd Parallels of North Latitude" by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers. The volume was printed in 1859 by Beverly Tucker of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date of book publication
1859
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
Heerman, Dr. A. L.
ID Number
GA.16332.067
catalog number
16332.067
accession number
1930.110179
This colored lithograph of "Carpodacus cassinii [Baird] and Melospiza fallax [Baird]" (now "Carpodacus assinii" (Cassin's finch) and "Melospiza melodia fallax (Song sparrow) is believed to have been originally drawn by C. B. R. Kennerly (1830-1861) and H. B.
Description (Brief)
This colored lithograph of "Carpodacus cassinii [Baird] and Melospiza fallax [Baird]" (now "Carpodacus assinii" (Cassin's finch) and "Melospiza melodia fallax (Song sparrow) is believed to have been originally drawn by C. B. R. Kennerly (1830-1861) and H. B. Mollhausen (1825-1905), then drawn on stone by William E. Hitchcock (ca 1822-ca 1906), lithographed by Bowen & Company of Philadelphia (ca 1840-1870), and likely hand colored by Bowen firm colorists or Lavinia Bowen (ca 1820- ca 1872).
The image was published as Plate XXVII in the Zoological Report, Volume X, Part VI, No. 3, following page 35 in C. B. R. Kennerly's "Report Upon the Birds of the Route" (near the 35th Parallel explored by Lieutenant Whipple in 1853 and 1855). The report was published in the volume “Reports and Surveys to Ascertain the Most Practable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean ... 1853, 1856, Volume X." The volume was printed in 1859 by Beverley Tucker of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date of section
1853-1854
date of book publication
1859
printer
Nicholson, A. O. P.
author
Whipple, Amiel Weeks
Ives, Joseph Christmas
original artist
Kennerley, Caleb Burwell Rowan
publisher
U.S. War Department
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
original artist
Mollhausen, H. B.
Mollhausen, H. B.
ID Number
GA.16332.081
catalog number
16332.081
accession number
1930.110179
This tinted lithograph of “South End of S. Inez Mountains & S. Buenaventura Valley" was produced after an original sketch by engineer and surveyor A. H. Campbell (1826-1899).
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “South End of S. Inez Mountains & S. Buenaventura Valley" was produced after an original sketch by engineer and surveyor A. H. Campbell (1826-1899). It was printed as Plate II in Volume VII, Part I, following page 6, in the "General Report," part of the "Report of Explorations for Railroad Routes from San Francisco Bay to Los Angeles, California, West of the Coast Range, and from the Pimas Villages on the Gila to the Rio Grande, Near the 32nd Parallel of North Latitude," by Lieutenant John G. Parke, Corps of Topographical Engineers, Assisted by Albert H. Campbell, Civil Engineer, 1854-1855."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1857
graphic artist
A. Hoen & Co.
original artist
Campbell, A. H.
publisher
U.S. War Department
author
Parke, J. G.
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
graphic artist
A. Hoen & Co.
ID Number
GA.16332.048
catalog number
16332.048
accession number
1930.110179
This tinted lithograph of “Los Angeles" was produced by Thomas Sinclair (1805-1881) after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865).
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Los Angeles" was produced by Thomas Sinclair (1805-1881) after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate X in Volume V, Part I, following page 34, in the "General Report," part of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
original artist
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.36
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Metamorphic Rocks - Borders of the Desert" was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate XIII in Volume V, Part II, following page 235, in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Metamorphic Rocks - Borders of the Desert" was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate XIII in Volume V, Part II, following page 235, in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
graphic artist
unknown
original artist
Koppel, Charles
author
Blake, William Phipps
Williamson, Robert Stockton
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
original artist
Koppel, Charles
ID Number
GA.10729.37
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Fort Massachusetts at the Foot of the Sierra Blanca Valley of San Luis" was produced by Thomas Sinclair (1805-1881), Philadelphia, after a sketch by John Mix Stanley (1814-1872) and an original sketch by expedition artist R. H. Kern (1821-1853).
Description
This tinted lithograph of “Fort Massachusetts at the Foot of the Sierra Blanca Valley of San Luis" was produced by Thomas Sinclair (1805-1881), Philadelphia, after a sketch by John Mix Stanley (1814-1872) and an original sketch by expedition artist R. H. Kern (1821-1853). It was printed as a plate in Volume II following page 38, in the "Report of Explorations for a Route for the Pacific Railroad, by Captain J. W. Gunnison (1812-1853), Topographical Engineers, Near the 38th and 39th Parallels of North Latitude, from the Mouth of the Kansas River, Missouri to the Sevier Lake in the Great Basin" by Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith (1818-1881), Third Artillery.
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1855 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1855
engraver
Stanley, John Mix
artist
Kern, Richard H.
printer
Sinclair, T.
publisher
U.S. War Department
author
Beckwith, Edward Griffin
Gunnison, John Williams
printer
Tucker, Beverley
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.27
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Colorado Desert and Signal Mountain" was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865).
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Colorado Desert and Signal Mountain" was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate XI in Volume V, Part I, following page 40, in the "General Report," part of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
original artist
Koppel, Charles
publisher
U.S. War Department
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
printer
Tucker, Beverley
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.26
accession number
62261

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