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POOLE, A. F. (artist & publisher)/ GEO. H. WALKER & CO. (lithographer) BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE VILLAGE OF HYANNIS, BARNSTABLE COUNTY, MASS.1884. Brockton, Mass.: A.F. Poole, 1884. 10½ x 20 ¼ inches; overall sheet size, 15¾ x 20 ¾ inches. Three-stone lithograph; lined with archival tissue; some spotting and staining primarily in lower and right margin; impression weak at lower right, with part of Walker imprint illegible; a few mended edge splits; still overall a very good and attractive example. A very rare, animated bird’s-eye view of the prominent Cape Cod village; it is the only view of Hyannis recorded by Reps and is the only one we are aware of the village produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are only two recorded examples of it in institutional collections—see below. Hyannis in the view is seen from the north, with Hyannis Port, Lewis Bay, Osterville, and Nantucket Sound as a backdrop, and with Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard visible in the far distance. While Hyannis (technically, one of seven villages, as is Hyannis Port, comprising the town of Barnstable) is today Cape Cod’ s commercial and transportation center, some say the capital of the Cape, it is of course most widely known for the Kennedy family’s summer compound. The property on which it resides was acquired in 1926 and would be located in the area in the view just to the west of the Old Colony Wharf (“C”), roughly in the upper center. It must also be mentioned that Hyannis is the home of the divine Cape Cod Potato Chip Company. A lettered key gives 24 prominent public buildings, businesses, places of worship and geographical landmarks. In the mid-19th century, Hyannis was a small but thriving maritime village, with cod fishing its primary industry. The arrival in 1854 of the Old Colony Railroad marked a significant turning point for the village’s economy and culture, which is fully reflected in the real estate development and many commercial vessels in this view. The railroad bisects the view on a north-south axis, terminating at the Old Colony Wharf, where transit by steamer to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket was available. The rail line stimulated the local economy, leading to the development of hotels, boardinghouses, and other businesses catering to visitors. On the bluffs in the upper right in the view, several large hotels can be seen. The improved transportation links also facilitated the export of local goods, including fish and cranberries, to larger markets, further boosting the economy. The railroad also attracted new residents, leading to an expansion of the village and the development of new residential and commercial areas. The view reveals this development to have been well underway when it was published. Culturally, the influx of tourists and new residents brought changes to the social fabric of Hyannis. The village became known as a desirable summer retreat, and the local culture began to blend traditional New England maritime activities, vigorous commerce and the needs of the vacationing elite from Boston and beyond. Albert F. Poole (1853-1934) was a gifted artist born in Brockton, Mass. and was responsible for at least 46 town views published between 1880 and 1905. “Poole… had a distinctive and original style…. [He] was a professional illustrator, and he obviously drew with ease and confidence. He used attractively designed titles, decorative borders, and vignettes to enhance the character of his prints” (Reps, pp. 199-200). Sometime around 1905 he shifted to the photogravure process, and as late as 1919 he identified himself in Boston city directories as a “bird’s eye view specialist.” George H. Walker (1852-1927) entered the publishing business in or around 1879, and his firm continued in operation until 1927. George H. Walker & Co. was the last important lithographic firm to be established in Boston in the nineteenth century…. Walker maintained a consistently high quality of workman-like draftsmanship by employing experienced artists. Joseph L. Jones, C.E. Jorgensen, Richard P. Mallory, F. Pond, and Albert F. Poole drew for the firm. The company is represented in the Boston Athenaeum collection by numerous portraits, sheet music covers, book illustrations, bird’s-eye views, maps, plans for cemeteries and housing developments, and views of residences and factories” (Pierce and Slautterback, Boston Lithography, p. 159). Walker’s extensive cartographic output included atlases of Massachusetts and of Essex County, separate maps of Boston and its metropolitan area, and birds-eye views of Boston and tourist destinations such as Edgartown, Bar Harbor, Provincetown, Mount Washington, and Lake Winnipesaukee. Reps, Views and Viewmakers, #1485 listing only one example, held by the Boston Public Library. OCLC 1037481699 (Boston Public) and 850845769 (Library of Congress).
Price: $4,500.00