Meyer, Hermann “Die Volcano-Goldgrabereyen (Californien)" [entrance to a mineshaft-Amador County]

Hermann Meyer.  “Die Volcano-Goldgrabereyen (Californien).”  [The Volcano – Golddiggings entrance to a mineshaft-Amador County].   

From Die Fünf Welttheile dargestefft in Bild & Wort.  Hildburghausen: Bibliographischen Instituts, ca. 1850.  Approx. 4 x 6 (image).  Steel engraving.  Narrow margin at top with some light browning.  Else, good condition.  

From 1833 to 1864, the Bibliographischen Institut of Hildburghausen, Germany, issued a journal, entitled Meyer’s Universum, containing text and steel engravings of all parts of the world.  Around 1850 they issued a volume entitled Die Fünf Welttheile dargestefft in Bild & Wort which contained many of the same images, as well as expanded text and some maps.  This business was founded by Joseph Meyer, who was later joined by his son Herrmann.  Joseph admired the United States and in 1849 he sent his son to New York to set up an American branch of their publishing business, the North American Bibliographic Institution.  Herrmann issued an American edition of the Universum (New York: H.J. Meyer; first volume, 1852; second volume 1853.), as well as a new illustrated series called The United States Illustrated.  After the death of his father in 1856, Herrmann Meyer returned to Germany and assumed control of the Bibliographischen Institut, which is still in business today.    The images issued by this firm are considerably scarcer than other steel engraved views of the period and while some are copied from other sources, such as William Bartlett, others offer unusual and unique, first hand images of different parts of the world.