1917 Union News Bird's-Eye View Map of Boston Harbor: Boston to Cape Cod

This is a c. 1917 chromolithograph map and view of Boston Harbor from Boston to Provincetown published by Union News. In the late 19th and early 20th century, such views were popular travel souvenirs sold at newsstands in train and ferry stations, as well as by newsboys onboard the trains and ferries themselves.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces Cape Cod Bay, Quincy Bay, and Dorchester Bay, the cities of Boston, Dorchester, Plymouth, and Provincetown, among others. Islands in Boston Harbor are illustrated, including Moon Island, Spectacle Island, Long Island, Governor's Island. Ferry and steamboat routes are illustrated and labeled, with lines to Plymouth, Provincetown, and New York. Smoke rises from Boston's many manufactories. Today, such are construed as pollution and urban defilement, but when this view was printed busy smokestacks were indicative of commercial prosperity and industrial optimism.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This map was published by the Union Publishing Company of South Station, Boston. An earlier edition was published by John Murphy.