1854 Wittock Chromolithograph View of Odesa, Ukraine, in the Crimean War

A rare c. 1854 chromolithograph bird's-eye Nathaniel Whittock view of the Black Sea port of Odesa (Odessa / Одеса), Ukraine just before its bombardment in the Crimean War.

A Closer Look

The view looks southward on Odesa. The city's excellent sheltered ports, wide streets, elevated location, and dramatic Orthodox cathedral are evident. This view was likely drawn by Whittock just prior to the 1854 Crimean War (1853 - 1856) bombardment of Odesa by the British Royal Navy - an effort to stymie Russian naval power and break supply lines. The attack devastated Odesa's port and commercial infrastructure, but the British failed to capture the city and its defenses remained strong.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, 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 product. 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 view was drawn by Englishman Nathaniel Whittock, who likely saw Odessa during the Crimean War. Whittock published his own version of this map in London, which occasionally appears on the market, but the present example was lithographed in Karlsruhe, Germany by J. Veith. Scarce.