Detroit was experiencing a significant period of prosperity, growth, and development during the so-called Gilded Age. By the time of this publication, Detroit’s location had allowed its port to become one of the busiest in the world, and by the early parts of the twentieth century, it exceeded New York by three times in shipping commerce volume. The iconic Midwest city was the second-largest behind Chicago and the fourth largest in the United States. Its proximity to the Lawrence Seaway allowed goods to flow throughout the Midwest, Canada, and the Eastern United States. This period was so prosperous that Detroit became known as the Paris of the West due to its distinctive architecture, grand avenues, and an electric lighting system designed by Thomas Edison himself. This detailed depiction was produced by one of the most trusted American mapmaking companies of the nineteenth century, Matthews-Northrup, based out of Buffalo, New York. Their works often detailed rail lines and bore a unique aesthetic and classic style that immediately transports the viewer back in time, creating an indelible bond between the past and present. The city attracted thousands of immigrants from across Europe and America looking for work in the thriving port and steel mills which created a population boom during the late nineteenth century. Immigrants established numerous communities throughout the city along cultural lines, many of which exist to this day. This is truly an authentic piece of American cartographical history that illustrates the grandeur of Detroit in the 1890s.Our museum quality giclee print comes printed with archival ink on premium heavyweight matte paper.
Kerin. Van Buren Twp, MI. Wed Nov 05 2025
