1893 Geographical Definitions Illustrated
By: Walter Levi Yaggy
Date: 1893 (published) Chicago, IL
Dimensions: 22.5 x 34.5 inches (57.2 x 87.5 cm)
This is one of the more ingenious charts to be included in the 1893 edition of Levi Walter Yaggy's Geographical Portfolio, 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 chart of geographical definitions illustrated seamlessly blends the wide variety of landforms, seascapes, elements of topography, geothermal activity, as well as human adaptations to the environment and transportation into one beautiful imaginary yet realistic world. Mountains, deserts, lakes, geysers, lava beds, craters, creeks, cliffs, sounds, prairies, table lands, sandstone formations, and so much more is presented in a manner that needs no words for students to understand. The human element is also represented by the inclusion of a railroad, wharf, city, harbor, farm, logging camp, and a variety of boats tastefully places throughout the image.
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 stains and areas of soiling, most noticeable in the sea and sky where the color is light. Overall, the colors are bright and vibrant and margins are full with no tears or holes.
Inventory #12216
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