Important 1880s French Panama Canal Photo Album 

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American History

By Cowan's Auctions

Nov 21, 2014 - Nov 22, 2014

Set Reminder 2014-11-21 10:00:00 2014-11-22 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American History https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-history-279
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• Lot Description
  Important 1880s French Panama Canal Photo Album 
  
  Large horizontal folio volume, ca 1887, bound in red embossed Moroccan boards with embossed and gilt title on front board reading in French: A Mr. G.A. Burt. Superintendant General Du Panama Rail Road. Vues & Travaux Dans L'isthme De Panama. Son Devoue Rob. De Meuse. (Mr. G.A. Burt. Superintendent General of Panama Railroad. Views & Works in the Isthmus of Panama). This volume contains 100 albumen photographs, most 8 x 9 in., with a few larger, and an onion skin map of the proposed route of the canal as frontis. The volume has marbled end papers and pastedowns and many of the photos have penciled titles in French below. All photos are mounted on light cardstock sheets with linen strip bindings, with one photo per sheet, back of each blank. The first image measures 9.7 x 13.5 in., and consists of a photo of a map entitled Plan De La Ville De Panama.
  
  The album contains some truly wonderful photographs, including panoramic images comprised of two or more photos, many showing the unfortunate Caribbean workers of African origin brought over by the thousands to work on the canal, who died in vast numbers from yellow fever and malaria. Additional views include: an image of a fresh graveyard of French workers on the canal, many different floating dredges, steam shovels, hopper cars for spoil from digging the canal, many of the towns and cities along the route of the railroad or canal, cathedrals, Las Bovedas, Paraiso, the Culibra Cut, Colon, a view of the John L. Stephens monument in Colon, wharfs, company housing and warehouses, railway cars and locomotives, and much more. The theodolite/transit offered as Lot 236 in this auction was purchased from the same estate as this album.
  
  George A. Burt (18??-1909) was an American engineer hired by the French Canal Company to build and operate the railroad used to construct the canal. In 1885, he was forced to telegraph President Grover Cleveland, asking him to send troops to Panama to put down a revolution against the government of Colombia. Cleveland sent in the Marines to put down the rebellion until more Federal forces from Colombia could arrive to restore order. This episode is interesting as the US government under Theodore Roosevelt helped instigate a revolution that freed Panama from the Colombian government and installed a puppet government who would allow the US to do what they wished to finish the work that the French had started and control the finished canal and a large swath of land surrounding it, which became known as the Canal Zone. It seems appropriate that this and the theodolite should be offered at auction on this the 100^th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal. 

  Condition

  Minor wear to boards and stock on which albumens are mounted is brittle at margins. All images are fine. Onionskin map is torn and poor.
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• Buyer's Premium

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