1858 Smith - Disturnell Pocket Map of New York

Charles Smith (1768 - 1854) was 19th century British publisher of maps, atlases, and charts, most of which focused on England and London. Smith was appointed map seller to the Prince of Wales in 1809. His early work stylistically resembles the work of Pinkerton, Cary, and Thomson, though on a much smaller scale. From 1826 to 1854 the business traded as Charles Smith and Son. After Charles Smith's death in 1852 the it was taken over by his son William Smith, and later his grandson Guildford Smith (1838 - 1917), who continued to publish maps well into the 20th century. The younger Smith is best known for his introduction of the 'Tape Indicator Map'. This map, which came with a tape measure, enabled users to triangulate their location based coordinates given in an attached guide. The firm was taken over by George Philip in 1916. More by this mapmaker...

John Disturnell (1801-1877) was a New York book and map publisher operating gin the early to middle 19th century. Disturnell worked with various engravers and cartographers over the years including Calvin Smith, J. H. Young, and G. E. Sherman as well as the Ensign, Bridgeman and Fanning group. His primary focus seems to have been New York and vicinity, however, his most significant contribution to U.S. history came from the opposite side of the continent. When Nicholas P. Trist was sent to Mexico to negotiate the 1847 Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo which defined the Mexican-American border at the end of the Mexican-American War, he carried with him Disturnell's Map of America. This map, among other inaccuracies, located El Paso a whopping 34 miles north and 100 miles east of its true location. Since Trist based the border treaty on mileages from El Paso, the obvious subsequent confusion lead to the conflicts that were to follow. The border problems between the United States and Mexico that resulted from this error were not resolved until 1963. Learn More...

Sherman and Smith (fl. c. 1829 - 1855), sometimes working as Stiles, Sherman & Smith, were American engravers active in New York City during the middle part of the 19th century. The firm including John Calvin Smith (surveyor and engraver), George E. Sherman, and sometimes, Samuel Stiles. Their work primarily focused on government publications, including the maps and engravings prepared to illustrate the official records of the 1838-42 United States Exploring Expedition (U.S. Ex. Ex.), maps issued for the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, and various U.S. Coast Survey Charts. They also engraved privately for Thomas Bradford and John Disturnell, among others. Sherman and Smith maintained offices at the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street in New York City and were highly regarded as the finest cartographic engravers in the city. Their non-cartographic legacies include George Inness, who apprenticed with them for two years before going on to become a well regarding American landscape painter of the Hudson River School. Learn More...