1846 Mitchell Map of Iowa (First Edition!)

Samuel Augustus Mitchell (March 20, 1792 - December 20, 1868) began his map publishing career in the early 1830s. Mitchell was born in Bristol, Connecticut. He relocated to Philadelphia in 1821. Having worked as a school teacher and a geographical writer, Mitchell was frustrated with the low quality and inaccuracy of school texts of the period. His first maps were an attempt to rectify this problem. In the next 20 years Mitchell would become the most prominent American map publisher of the mid-19th century. Mitchell worked with prominent engravers J. H. Young, H. S. Tanner, and H. N. Burroughs before attaining the full copyright on his maps in 1847. In 1849 Mitchell either partnered with or sold his plates to Thomas, Cowperthwait and Company who continued to publish the Mitchell's Universal Atlas. By about 1856 most of the Mitchell plates and copyrights were acquired by Charles Desilver who continued to publish the maps, many with modified borders and color schemes, until Mitchell's son, Samuel Augustus Mitchell Junior, entered the picture. In 1859, S.A. Mitchell Jr. purchased most of the plates back from Desilver and introduced his own floral motif border. From 1860 on, he published his own editions of the New General Atlas. The younger Mitchell became as prominent as his father, publishing maps and atlases until 1887, when most of the copyrights were again sold and the Mitchell firm closed its doors for the final time. More by this mapmaker...

Edward L. Carey (April 7, 1805 - June 16, 1845) was an American publisher, aesthete, art lover, and the co-founder, along with Abraham Hart, of the prominent publishing firm Carey and Hart. Carey was the son of American publisher Mathew Carey (1760 - 1839) and Bridget Flahaven Carey. He initially worked for his brother, Henry Charles Carey who, along with relative and partner Isaac Lea, purchased their father's publishing house in 1822, rebranding it as Carey and Lea. Eventually, Edward Carey became a junior partner in the firm, acquiring half of the shares belonging to Lea, and the imprint briefly changed to Carey, Lea, and Carey. On November 1, 1829, Edward Carey detached himself from his brother's firm and formed a partnership with Abraham Hart (1810 - 1885), an employee of Carey, Hart, and Carey. This firm, known as Carey and Hart, was successful for twenty-five years, publishing works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, and Eliza Leslie. Carey suffered from declining health during the last three years of his life. According to William Gilmore Sims, Carey died 'after suffering for some years from a tedious affliction of the spine.' Carey died on June 16, 1845 at the age of 40. Before his death, he was elected President of the Academy of Fine Arts, but declined the position due to his health. Learn More...

Abraham Hart (December 15, 1810 - July 22, 1885) was an American publisher of Jewish-Dutch descent based in Philadelphia. As a boy, Hart became an employee of the publishing firm Carey, Lea, and Carey. In 1829, when Edward Carey (1805 - 1845) left his older brother Mathew Carey's firm, Edward and Hart joined forces, forming Carey and Hart. This firm became very well-known and was successful for twenty-five years, publishing works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, and Eliza Leslie. Hart married Rebecca Cohen Isaacks in 1831. Carey died at the age of 40 in 1845, but Hart continued the publishing firm until he retired in 1854, which marked the end of the Carey and Hart imprint. After retiring, Hart involved himself with industrial enterprises, and served both the Centennial Button-hole Machine Company and the American Button-hole Machine Company in an executive capacity. Hart was also an active member of the Jewish community in Philadelphia, serving for a time as president of the Jewish Congregation Mickvéh Israel, and assisting in Jewish educational and charitable enterprises. Learn More...