Colton Hawaiian Group 1855 （HM19)

1855 COLTON HAWAIIAN GROUP

1855 Colton Hawaiian Group (with Kealakekua Inset)
Joseph Hutchins Colton & Co. were one of the leading private map publishing firms in the United States during the latter half of the 19th Century. His influential mapmaking business flourished during the years preceding the American Civil War and remained in operation until the 1890s. Colton’s high-quality steel plate engravings were complemented by stylistic choices that included decorative borders and impressive hand coloring. The vast reach of his enterprise spread from atlases and wall maps to folding pocket maps. In 1855 Colton published his Atlas of the World in two volumes and it remains one of the finest mid 19th century works. Of particular interest are the individual maps of the expanding United States and the Western territories between 1855-1869.