The Unchecked Capitalism Behind The Bird’s-Eye View

Abstract

ABSTRACT By the middle of the nineteenth century, the development of bird’s-eye views, or panoramic lithographic maps, became a popular vehicle for Americans to promote their towns and cities. Today, they are important for understanding late nineteenth-century geography, the spatial layout of towns, and architecture. Examination of one of these maps, “Miner’s Mills and Mill Creek,” in the anthracite region, shows the care and precision of the mapmaker, T. M. Fowler. A deeper reading of the map enables us to reveal a more complicated story of the community’s past. Researching the history of one anthracite town shows how the anthracite industry led to environmental, social, and psychological trauma, which continues today. While coal mining is now almost nonexistent, a social history of anthracite communities represented via panoramic lithographic maps can provide a long-term history of past traumas.