Cram, George "California"

George Cram.  "California."  Chicago: George F. Cram, ca. 1880. 18 5/8 x 12. Color cereograph.  Very good condition.

The George Cram Company was an engraving and publishing firm from Chicago.  In the mid-nineteenth century, the center of cartographic publishing was New York City, but in the 1880s this began to shift towards Chicago with the advent of the Rand, McNally and Cram firms.  The Chicago firms were noted for their efficient output of precise maps using the process of wax engraving or cerography.  This is a nice example of the Cram firm’s output.