Richard W. Rummell (1848 – June 4, 1924) was an American artist active in Brooklyn during the late 19th and early 20th century. Rummell was born in Canada, the son of German immigrant Frank X. Rummell and his wife Eliza Rummell. He immigrated to the United States as a youth settling with his parents in Buffalo. He relocated to Brooklyn when he was in his mid-30s, setting up an illustration office at 258 Broadway in Manhattan. Rummell is best known for his series of views of American colleges completed around the turn of the century. Since Rummell's views universally appear to be drawn from an altitude of about 300 feet, it has been speculated by many art historians that he worked from a balloon. Rummell was also a bit of a futurist and among his more interesting works are a series of speculative images of the New York of tomorrow, with vast airships, trains running over the tops of skyscrapers, and elegant sky bridges. In the 1950s, the original printer's plates for many of Rummell's university views were rediscovered in a Brooklyn warehouse. Rummell's Brooklyn home was located at 45 Bay 28th Street and later 73 Hanson Place. In addition to his work as a visual artist, he was an accomplished actor and an avid yachtsman. He founding member of the Bensonhurst Yacht Club, where his yacht, the Careless was usually docked. He was also a member of the Royal Arcanum fraternal order. Rummell was survived by his wife, Emmeline Rummell, daughter, Chrissie Atkinson, and two sons, John Tribel Rummell, and Richard Rummell Jr., who became a famous Florida architect. More by this mapmaker...

Alfred Walter Elson (March 20, 1859 - November 22, 1938) was an American photographer, printer, and lithographer based in Boston. Elson was born in Massachusetts, the son of German-Bavarian immigrants. Elson's father, Julius, was a jeweler. Elson operated under the imprint of A.W. Elson and Company, active from roughly 1894 to 1925. Elson is best known for his fine photogravure plates, among them many of Richard Rummell's iconic college views. Elson prints are often mis-identified as 'Welson' due to the often-weak impression of his imprint. The Elson offices were located at 146 Oliver Street, Boston. Elson died of a lingering sickness in 1938. He was survived by his wife Maud, who lived until 1955. Learn More...

Francis Durando Nichols (October 2, 1867 - February 28, 1912) was an American printer and publisher active in the early 20th century. In 1905, he founded F. D. Nichols and Company, a New York and Boston based printing house specializing in deluxe publications, catalogs, and diplomas. Prior to this time, he worked in illustration and advertising for Ginn and Company. Learn More...