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Nice example of the map of the Southwestern United States, from the Atlas to Accompany To Official Records of the Official Records of hte Union and Confederate Armies, 1861-1865.
Issued in parts, the Atlas of the Union & Confederate Armies compiled hundreds of batte field and battle theater maps made during the Civil War and presented them for the first time in a single work. Most of the original maps are unobtainable to collectors, making this the only means for acquiring the maps.
Ths map extends from Colorado to Nebraska and Indian Territory to New Mexico, with excellent detail, as they existed during the civil war, highlighting war related routes, roads, and information.
Julius Bien (1826-1909) was a German-born American lithographer and cartographer, renowned for his significant contributions to American cartography during the 19th century. Born on September 27, 1826, in Naumburg, Germany, Bien originally trained in his homeland, mastering the nascent craft of chromolithography, a method for producing multi-color prints.
In the 1850s, Bien emigrated to the United States, where he set up his own lithography firm, Julius Bien & Co., in New York. His innovative techniques and meticulous attention to detail quickly earned him a reputation as one of the country's leading lithographers. The firm became known for its wide range of work, from maps and atlases to commercial prints and illustrations.
One of Bien's most significant collaborations was with the U.S. government, particularly the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In the late 19th century, the USGS undertook the ambitious project of mapping the entire United States. Bien's firm was responsible for producing many of these topographical maps, and he introduced advanced printing techniques that enhanced their clarity, precision, and detail.
However, not all of Bien's ventures were successful. His attempt at reproducing a double elephant folio edition of Audubon's Birds of America in the 1860s, for instance, was left incomplete due to financial challenges posed by the Civil War. Despite this, many of the plates he did produce for this edition are considered masterpieces of chromolithography.
Julius Bien passed away on December 21, 1909, in New York. His contributions to lithography and cartography in the U.S. left a lasting legacy, with many of his techniques becoming standard practice in the field. His maps, in particular, serve as a testament to the evolving understanding and depiction of the American landscape during a period of rapid westward expansion and scientific exploration.
![[Arizona below New Mexico] Mexique d'apres le grand Atlas Dresse Par A.H. Dufour Grave par ch Dyonet Pubie par A. Le Chevalier . . . 1863](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/64395.jpg)
