Sold by William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since 13 July 2006
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
A stunning bird's-eye view of the Texas border town of Laredo, produced in the early 1890s as a promotional piece by the Laredo Real Estate & Abstract Company. This energetic cityscape is the earliest bird's-eye view of the city, and shows a bustling and thriving community, with a dense grid of houses and businesses, a railroad line to the west of the town, and several coal refineries billowing black smoke from high stacks. To the south of Laredo is a portion of the northern Mexico city of Nuevo Laredo, located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The two cities are prominently split in the lower third of the view by the spectacular Rio Grande River, with a railroad bridge and "electric motor" street bridge connecting the two cities. Vignettes along the lower portion of the sheet show prominent Laredo buildings, including City Hall, Webb County Court House, the Hotel Hamilton, the Laredo Improvement Company, and the Masonic Hall. The text at bottom enumerates fifteen "Facts about Laredo," comparative distances between Chicago and New Orleans, population, and import & export statistics from 1888 to January 1890. "Directly west of Corpus Christi, once-somnolent Laredo on the Rio Grande had awakened to the quickening step of urbanization. The view produced in Figure 18.15 [the present view] shows the city about 1890, greatly expanded from the tiny plaza settlement of the eighteenth century. If one is to judge from the gigantic net of projected streets extending to the horizon, its residents and land developers anticipated an even greater period of growth in the years ahead. Laredo consisted of more than empty streets and hopes, however. Railroad service, which began in 1882 and was subsequently extended, provided Laredo many of the advantages with respect to trade with Mexico enjoyed by El Paso. By the time this view was published, a new bridge had replaced the more picturesque but less efficient ferry across the river to the Mexican town bearing the same name. Tanneries, brick manufacturing plants, lumber yards and furniture shops, a woolen mill, Fort McIntosh, and the complex of activities associated with railroad maintenance and repair, all provided employment for Laredo's increasing population, which had jumped from 3,521 in 1880 to 11,319 a decade later" - Reps, CITIES OF THE AMERICAN WEST, p.614. Henry Wellge, the German-born artist who executed this view, settled in Milwaukee in 1878. Reps holds Wellge in high regard, writing that he "ranks with the most prolific of the city view artists of America." In the present view, Wellge documented Laredo's expansion from the southeast, especially in terms of downtown buildings such as the new Webb County Courthouse and the combination city hall and market house. Most of the structures in the city were modest one-story buildings, but the new prosperity had spurred a building boom. This growth was reflected in increased property values, scarce hotel rooms, and high demand for building materials, such as lumber and bricks. The arrival of the railroads also provided a market for the local coal, found near the upriver village of Minera, which had been known for decades but now could be profitably mined. As Wellge showed, miners floated the coal down the river on barges when possible, but developers built the Rio Grande and Pecos Railway in 1882-83 to link the mines with the city. When the RG&P collapsed, the Rio Grande and Eagle Pass Railway took it over. Wellge suggested the location of the mines on the horizon, in the upper left-hand corner of the print (a distance of some twenty-five miles). The community itself had also undergone dramatic change in the decade since the railroads arrived. Steamboat traffic on the Rio Grande had begun to diminish as irrigation took so much water from the river that boats often ran aground. The railroads were more reliable, bringing thousands of newcomers into the community. Laredo remained a predominantly Mexican city, but the arrival of large numbers.
Seller Inventory # 56375
Terms of Trade
All initial queries concerning items listed on ABEBooks.com by William Reese Company must be made via e-mail.
All material offered herein is offered subject to prior sale and is shipped subject to approval, but notification of return must be made within thirty days and returns made in a prompt and conscientious fashion. New customers are asked to prepay, or supply ABAA/ILAB references. Payment may be made by check, wire transfer or bank draft, and we also accept Visa and MasterCar...
If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION
Statutory Right to cancel
You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days for any reason.
The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us, William Reese Company, 14 East 60th Street, Suite 800, 10022, New York, New York, U.S.A., of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model cancellation form, but it is not obligatory. You can also electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.
Effects of cancellation
If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel with contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or William Reese Company, New York, New York, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your cancellation from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of cancellation
The right of cancellation does not apply to:
Model withdrawal form
(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)
To: (William Reese Company, 14 East 60th Street, Suite 800, 10022, New York, New York, U.S.A.)
I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*),
Ordered on (*)/received on (*)
Name of consumer(s)
Address of consumer(s)
Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)
Date
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Orders usually ship within 3 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
| Order quantity | 7 to 21 business days | 3 to 10 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 10.41 | £ 15.61 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.
