1875 Brown Chromolithograph of a Locust Swarm in the Midwest (Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, etc.)

Grasshopper Plague of 1874.

An exceptional 1875 chromolithograph view representing one of the most horrific natural disasters in American history - the Locust Plague of 1874. This epic 1874 event, in which trillions of locusts descended from the Rocky Mountains, wiped out crops throughout the Plains States, plunging the nation into depression and leaving countless homesteaders in dire straits.

A Closer Look

The view is a 5-color chromolithograph. It depicts a dramatic scene from the Locust Plague of 1874. A Great Plains homesteader family, likely in Nebraska, watches in horror as a locust swarm descends. A mother and child weep while a helpless family looks on in dismay. A boy tries in vain to shoo away the locusts with a broom—the family dog panics. Meanwhile, hungry chickens enjoy the feast.

Locust Plague of 1874

The Locust Plague of 1874, also called the Grasshopper Plague, was one of the most devastating natural disasters to strike the American Great Plains, remembered as the worst locust invasion in U.S. history. That summer, trillions of Rocky Mountain locusts descended in enormous swarms, some estimated to cover 110 miles wide and hundreds of miles long, darkening the skies and consuming virtually everything in their path. The locusts, sometimes piled over a foot high, devoured crops, prairie grasses, clothing, wooden tool handles, and even wool off sheep's backs. Some eye-witnesses describe the horror,

• Kansas Pioneer: 'They looked like a great, white glistening cloud, for their wings caught the sunshine on them and made them look like a cloud of white vapor.'
• Kansas Settler: 'I never saw such a sight before. This morning, as we looked up toward the sun, we could see millions in the air. They looked like snowflakes.'
• Nebraska historian Addison E. Sheldon: 'In a clear, hot July day a haze came over the sun. The haze deepened into a gray cloud. Suddenly, the cloud resolved itself into billions of gray grasshoppers sweeping down upon the earth. The vibration of their wings filled the ear with a roaring sound like a rushing storm. As far as the eye could reach in every direction, the air was filled with them. Where they alighted, they covered the ground like a heavy crawling carpet.'

States hardest hit included Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, where entire harvests were destroyed, threatening settlers -many of them new homesteaders as in this image - with starvation and penury. The federal and state governments attempted relief efforts, distributing food, seed grain, and supplies, but the scale of destruction was overwhelming, forcing many farmers into debt or abandonment of their claims. The 1874 plague highlighted the vulnerability of frontier agriculture to natural calamities.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process uses multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Generally, a chromolithograph begins with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors are layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color can be blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda.

Publication History and Census

This chromolithograph was produced in 1875 by M. H. Brown. We have been unable to trace Brown further. We see only one other example, held at the William Clements Library of the University of Michigan. No history on the private market.

Condition

Very good. Toning.

References

OCLC 844726188.