1893 Tropical Zone
By: Walter Levi Yaggy
Date: 1893 (published) Chicago, IL
Dimensions: 22.5 x 34.5 inches (57.2 x 87.5 cm)
This is a fine example of Yaggy's print illustrating the Tropical Zone (a.k.a. the Torrid Zone), which lies along the equator, extending north and south to the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. It appeared in the 1893 edition of Levi Walter Yaggy's Geographical Portfolio, which was published as an educational tool for high schools and colleges. The entire portfolio consisted of nine illustrated charts, and maps as well as two movable diagrams of presenting celestial phenomena, all housed in a wooden cloth-wrapped case.
Yaggy's depiction of the Tropical Zone is lush and active, with an abundance of ferns, palms, vines, and water born grasses, that give way to animals such as snakes, jaguars, and monkeys. Several distinct types of people indigenous to the tropical zone are also depicted, one pair hunting a jaguar while another looks on holding shields, spears, and a club. Additional natives fill a scene in the background with some carrying baskets atop their heads and others loading into a dugout canoe. Thatched roof huts of various styles serve as examples of the type of dwellings found within the Tropical Zone during the late 19th century and still today.
Chromolithography or Multi-stone Printing
This print and others from Yaggy's Geographical Portfolio were produced using multi-stone chromolithography, a method of color printing by multiple applications of lithographic stones, each using a different color ink. Previously, lithographs were printed in black and white and then colored by hand, often times with watercolor paint. This method was not only more suitable for mass production, but also resulted a much more vibrant image.
Levi Walter Yaggy (1848 - 1912) Was born in Plainfield Illinois to Jacob and Elizabeth Yaggy. He attended Northwestern College in Naperville, Illinois before moving to Chicago where he would found the Great Western Publishing House in 1874. He business would enjoy great success, ultimately expanding to include seventeen branch offices throughout the United States and employing thousands. Yaggy primarily focused on creating maps and educational books and portfolios for high schools and colleges that included "Museum of Antiquity; A Description of Ancient Life...," "The Standard History of All Nations and Races…," and "Yaggy’s Anatomical Study; Presenting the Skeleton, Muscles, Arteries, Veins and Nerves...," among others.
Condition: This print is in B+ condition with a few light scratches and some light staining and soiling, mostly confined to the margins.
Inventory #12230
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