{"product_id":"alabama-map-1845-state-print-tuscaloosa-mobile-montgomery","title":"Alabama Map 1845 State Print - Tuscaloosa, Mobile, Montgomery","description":"\u003cp\u003eSidney Morse and Samuel Breese, working in New York, published this map of Alabama in 1845 as part of Morse's North American Atlas, issued by Harper \u0026amp; Brothers across nine illustrated parts sold for twenty-five cents apiece. Morse and Breese pioneered the cerographic wax-engraving process used to print the map, a technique far cheaper than traditional copper-plate engraving that let Harper's sell four full-color maps per part at roughly a quarter the price of comparable engraved sheets, putting detailed state cartography within reach of ordinary households for the first time. Alabama is shown here still governed from Tuscaloosa, the state's capital since 1826, in the very year before the seat of government would move permanently to Montgomery, a transition already being debated in the state legislature when this map went to press.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTuscaloosa anchors the map as the outgoing capital, a river town whose two decades as seat of government were, by this date, nearly over. Mobile dominates the Gulf coast as Alabama's only significant port, positioned at the mouth of the Alabama River where the state's rapidly expanding cotton crop was loaded for shipment to northern mills and European markets. Montgomery appears already growing along the river's upper reaches, its position soon to make it the natural successor to Tuscaloosa. The Alabama and Tombigbee rivers together formed the state's principal trade arteries, carrying cotton downstream from the plantation districts spreading across the state's interior even as its northern hill country remained only lightly settled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis sheet captures a genuine hinge point in Alabama's early history, the exact year the state capital changed hands, which makes it worth seeking out for a family with roots in the old river towns or a collector marking that transition. The store's other Alabama editions include the 1893 and 1838 Bradford issues, a Cram sheet pairing Alabama with Georgia, and an 1883 edition combining Alabama with Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida; this 1845 Morse map is the only one in the collection printed while Tuscaloosa still held the capital. It's printed unframed and available in a range of sizes to fit whatever wall it's headed for.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TheMapVault","offers":[{"title":"16x20 inch - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461739851,"sku":"SKU1478-16x20","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A2 (42x60cm) - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461772619,"sku":"SKU1478-A2","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18x24 inch - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461805387,"sku":"SKU1478-18x24","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50x70 cm - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461838155,"sku":"SKU1478-50x70","price":41.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 (60x84cm) - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461870923,"sku":"SKU1478-A1","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x32 inch - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461903691,"sku":"SKU1478-24x32","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"70x100 cm - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461936459,"sku":"SKU1478-70x100","price":68.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75x100 cm - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513461969227,"sku":"SKU1478-75x100","price":68.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A0 (84x119cm) - UNFRAMED","offer_id":58513462001995,"sku":"SKU1478-A0","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0907\/2456\/5323\/files\/SKU1478.jpg?v=1789679853","url":"https:\/\/www.themapvault.com\/en-us\/products\/alabama-map-1845-state-print-tuscaloosa-mobile-montgomery","provider":"TheMapVault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}