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A Panorama of Pittsburgh: Nineteenth Century Views (review)

Recently, the Frick Art and Historical Center hosted an exhibition of all currently known nineteenth century printed views of Pittsburgh. In conjunction with that exhibit, the Frick has produced this book, which is a complete catalogue of all of the printed views included in its exhibition. Christopher Lane, the exhibit curator, is its author. The result of these efforts, A Panorama of Pittsburgh, is a visually stunning overview of printed views, and an informative read on the business of printing and engraving in the nineteenth century. This book’s greatest strengths are unconventional for an academic review. First, 135 prints are included in the book, many of which are in color. Normally, the inclusion of so many illustrations would almost comically inflate the price of a book, yet its cost is less than twenty-five dollars, far lower than most history monographs. Secondly, Lane’s research of the origins of each print, and his discussion of the careers of many of Pittsburgh’s important lithographers, is clear, concise, and interesting. Lane wisely avoids trying to contrive a narrative thread; his chief task was to describe in as much detail as possible each print throughout the nineteenth century. The result is a book that is invaluable as a reference tool for historians or anyone interested in Pittsburgh’s early history. Especially interesting is Lane’s coverage of networking; engravers frequently came to Pittsburgh from Germany, and worked for one firm before starting their own businesses as the city grew and with it demand for prints. A final strength of this book is what amounts to an extremely useful appendix at its back: a detailed list of all known printmakers in nineteenth century Pittsburgh, followed by a chronological list of all of the printed views displayed in the body of the book. Researchers should find these catalogs especially invaluable.