Section VI. Philadelphia on Stone: Panoramic, Bird’s Eye, and Cityscape Views

The literal and figurative picture of 19th-century Philadelphia would be vastly different if not for the lithographers of the city. From the first decade of the commercial trade, panoramic and cityscape and later bird’s eye views of Philadelphia comprised a segment of the print market. As the city continued to expand beyond the areas focused upon by J. C. Wild in his innovative 1838 Panoramas of Philadelphia from the State House Steeple, Philadelphia lithographers documented this evolution. The increasingly commercial face of the center of the city, the development of West Philadelphia, and the growing number of factories, railroads, bridges, and public works representing the transition of the city from a seaport into an urban center were all chronicled by lithographic artists. The following lithographs provide not only a lens onto the changing landscape and architecture of 19th-century Philadelphia over the decades, but also the culture of the period.

Click on the thumbnails below to browse the items in this section of the exhibition.