Virginia and West Virginia by G.W. Colton

Code: 53508

Date: 1871

Lithograph with original hand colouring. Overall sheet size: 42.9cms x 35.9cms.  In the upper right are two inset maps, "Richmond, Henrico County. Manchester and Springhill, Chesterfield Co." and "Norfolk, Portsmouth and Gosport."  This map was published seven years only after the formation of West Virginia as a separate state.   In 1861 at the outbreak of the American Civil War Virginia was politically split; the eastern portion was aligned with the Confederacy and the western regions with the north. In 1863, West Virginia was admitted to the Union as a new separate state    Text on verso describing the history and geography of the State of North Carolina.  Highly decorative border.  The map depicts forts, rivers, railroads etc. Explanation key top left .   The hand colouring is in Colton’s recognizable pink and greens depicts various state and territorial boundaries. Slight toning to margins and  faint  waterstaining in bottom left  else good condition.

George Woolworth Colton (1827 - 1901) was the son of Joseph Hutchins Colton (July 5, 1800 - July 29, 1893) who was an important American map and atlas publisher operating between 1833 to 1897. JH Colton recognized a gap in the market and published guides for immigrants and updated maps with decorative borders after purchasing the copyright from cartographers such as David H. Burr. His two sons worked in the business with him on the vast output of railroad maps, guides and several atlases.  The non payment of the fee from Bolivia for a large quantity of maps of the country was financially disastrous for the company.  The maps are characterised by their decorative spiral borders and  vibrant contemporary hand colouring.