1876 Toudy View of Fairmont Park, Philadelphia

FairmontParkPhiladelphia-toudy-1876
$500.00
Bird's Eye View, Centennial Buildings, 1876. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. - Main View
Bird's Eye View, Centennial Buildings, 1876. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. - Main View
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1876 Toudy View of Fairmont Park, Philadelphia

FairmontParkPhiladelphia-toudy-1876

Inspiring view of Fairmount Park.
$500.00

Title

Bird's Eye View, Centennial Buildings, 1876. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
  1876 (dated)     17 x 23 in (43.18 x 58.42 cm)

Description

This is the impressive first edition 1875 H. J. Toudy bird's-eye view of Fairmount Park, the grounds for the Centennial International Exhibition, the first world's fair held in the United States. Held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the view illustrates the fairgrounds from high above the Schuylkill River. This view was issued one year before the actual event based upon architectural plans and landscape renderings. Multiple buildings are recognizable, including the Art Gallery and Machinery Hall, wide boulevards, fountains, and bridges. A key below the bottom border identifies the main buildings. Toudy issued a second edition of his view of Fairmount Park after the fairgrounds were completed as he knew that visitors would want a more accurate depiction. Philadelphia commercial engravers published several different views of Fairmount Park to capitalize on the fair's tourist economy.
The Centennial International Exhibition
Officially named the 'International Exhibitions of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine', the Centennial Exhibition opened May 10, 1876, and closed on November 10, 1876. Nearly 10 million people attended the Exhibition, including President Ulysses S. Grant and Brazilian Emperor Pedro II, who officially opened the fair. Among the exhibits were the Statue of Liberty's right arm and torch, the John Bull steam locomotive, and the Swedish Cottage (now the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in New York City's Central Park).
Publication History and Census
This bird's-eye view was created and published by H.J. Toudy in 1875. We note only one cataloged example of this rare first edition, which is part of the collection at the Library Company of Philadelphia.

Cartographer

Henry J. Toudy (fl. c. 1857 - c. 1877) was an American lithographer, engraver, and map publisher active in Philadelphia during the middle part of the 19th century. Little is known of Toudy's parentage or early life, but he established a steam lithography press in Philadelphia around 1856. Toudy was best known as a printer of city and town views, with many such productions bearing his imprint. He also published portraits, railroad bonds, stock certificates, and map. Toudy's original offices were located at 503 and 505 Chestnuts Streets. Insurance records suggest that Toudy's Chestnut Street offices were gutted by fire on March 25, 1879. Records suggest that the Toudy firm was reestablished in 1884 at 829 Walnut Street. In 1892 a Henry J. Toudy is recorded as the owner of the Greenback Coilliery, a mine in Shamokin, PA famous for a terrible explosion that had occurred years earlier under another owner. It is unclear if they are the same person or possibly related, but such is neither unlikely nor impossible. More by this mapmaker...

Condition

Good. Minor spotting lower left.

References

Piola, E., Philadelphia on Stone: Commercial Lithography in Philadelphia 1828 - 1878 (University Park, P.A.: The Pennsylvania State University Press) 2012. Library Company of Philadelphia Accession Number P.9192.4.