1890 Bird's Eye View of the White Mountains, New Hampshire

A striking 1890 George. W. Morris bird's-eye view of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The view captures 'The Whites' at the height of their 19th century tourism boom. Railroads began to penetrate the White Mountains in the mid-19th century, making them an instant hit with tourists and the 'rusticator' crowd. By the 1890s, when this view was issued, the region was well serviced and easily accessible by travelers from Boston, Portland, and New York. Such views were manufactured for sale from vendors on the trains as well as at station newsstands.

A Closer Look

The two-color chromolithograph view looks north on the White Mountains from Lake Winnipesaukee. It is enclosed by the Carter and Kinsman Ranges from east to west and flanked by Lancaster and the Lakes Region from north to south. The artist, although not named, has amplified the view's grandeur by overstating the elevations of important peaks, particularly Mount Washington. Mountains are numbered, with a legend listing names and elevations above sea level. Pictorial symbols identify hotels, resort communities, and railroads, providing further information for prospective tourists.

Tip Top House

Of note is Tip Top House and the cog railroad leading to Mount Washington's summit. The grandiose structure illustrated here is not likely the Tip Top House of today. The low granite building that survives today was built in 1853 but abandoned in 1884 in favor of an impressive 3-story 91-room hotel of the same name. That hotel burnt to the ground in the Great Fire of 1908. The indestructible granite foundation of the original 1853 Tip Top House was subsequently renovated several times as both a hotel and an annex to nearby Summit House. Today it serves as a museum.

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 published in Portland, Maine, by George W. Morris, who also issued a view of Bar Harbor. Although unsigned by any artist, stylistic similarities between this and Morris's Bar Harbor view (Geographicus: BarHarbor-walkermorris-1886) in the rendering of trees and topography, as well as a very similar use of exaggerated scales, suggest, with some confidence, that both were drawn by the same artist, Charles Edward Jorgensen. It was printed by the Brooks Bank Note and Lithographing Company. The view is rare. We note six examples in OCLC, as well as an example at the Boston Public Library.