- Title: Map of the Main Portion of Washington, D. C.
- Author: Rand, McNally & Co.
- Date: 1895
- Medium: Wax engraving
- Condition: Very Good Plus - light age toning, some areas of minor surface dirt
- Inches: 11 1/4 x 14 [Paper]
- Centimeters: 28.58 x 35.56 [Paper]
- Product ID: 100680
Map of the city of Washington, D. C. on the banks of the Potomac River. Features the 'President's House,' the Capital Building, the Smithsonian Institute, the Botanical Garden, the Washington Monument, and other important sites in the city. The upper right corner contains an inset titled Outline Map of Washington, D. C.
In 1856, William H. Rand opened a Chicago print shop, hiring Irish immigrant Andrew McNally as a printer two years later. They established a relationship with the Chicago Tribune’s predecessor, soon taking over its printing operation in full. Eventually, in 1868 Rand, McNally, and Rand’s nephew George Amos Poole bought out the Tribune and founded Rand, McNally & Co. Now with significant printing experience under their belt, the three men embarked on several publishing endeavors, capitalizing on the massive success of Chicago’s railroad industry by printing tickets, timetables, and railroad guides. Rand, McNally & Co.’s cartographic enterprise began as an offshoot of their existing publishing business; it was not until 1872 that the company printed its first map, a wax engraving that appeared in the company’s December Railroad Guide. Thanks to the low cost and ease of production associated with wax engravings, the firm quickly became the largest commercial publisher in the United States and to this day continues to produce quality atlases, maps, and globes