Produced by noted American geographer Samuel Augustus Mitchell, the County map of North Carolina and Virginia depicts the two Southern states in the year preceding the outbreak of the American Civil War. Virginia and North Carolina were among the most important economic drivers of the American south in the middle portion of the nineteenth century. Mitchell became one of the most published geographers of the era. He eventually printed more than four hundred thousand editions annually. Both states were primarily agrarian, and tobacco was the economic driver for export to Northeastern and European markets.
The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 increased the tensions between the North and South. By April of 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired at the Battle of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Richmond was named the Capital of the Confederacy on May 20. North Carolina did not vote to secede from the Union until Lincoln’s announcement of his plans to invade South Carolina. The years leading up to the Civil War saw numerous developments in both states, including the completion of interstate railings that opened up the region to settlement and improved the export of valuable crops.
This map bears a distinct aesthetic and classic style that immediately transports the viewer back in time. Virginia and North Carolina helped shape the culture of the American South, and remain two of the most iconic southern states. This illustration depicts the states in some of their most historically significant moments preceding the Civil War.
Our museum quality giclee print comes printed with archival ink on premium heavyweight matte paper. Shipped in a sturdy cardboard tube your print will arrive ready to be framed. This eye-catching vintage map reproduction print makes the perfect gift for anyone that loves history and imagery.
