Harrisburg, Penna.
Item
Title
Harrisburg, Penna.
Creator
Artist unknown
American, nineteenth century?
Printed by Knauber & Co., Milwaukee
Published by John R. Fender & Co., New York
American, nineteenth century?
Printed by Knauber & Co., Milwaukee
Published by John R. Fender & Co., New York
Date
1881
Materials
Lithograph with hand coloring
Measurements
29-1/4 x 40-5/16 in. (74.3 x 102.4 cm)
Description
In 1850, Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania since 1812, hosted a single railway, constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which ran just east of the city, paralleling the Pennsylvania Canal. Within three decades, around the time this lithography was drawn, the one track had burgeoned to several dozen, which were coupled with huge repair facilities, two roundhouses, and a major depot to handle the great amount of freight and passenger traffic the PRR funneled through the city. The principal reason for such growth was the steel industry, anchored by the Pennsylvania Steel Company’s first plant—the first in the country built specifically for steel—which was constructed in Steelton, just south of Harrisburg, in 1866.
Source
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, partial gift and purchase from John C. O’Connor and Ralph M. Yeager.
Identifier
86.457
Rights
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.