Postcrossing Official US 3019993

Bird's Eye view of Boston as seen from the North in 1877

The panoramic map or bird's eye view was a popular cartographic form used to depict American cities during rapid industrialization following the Civil War. Preparation of the panoramic maps involved a vast amount of painstaking labor.  The artist walked most city streets sketching individual buildings, trees, and thoroughfares before rendering a complete and detailed map as seen from an oblique angle at an elevation of 3,000 feet.