Currency Exchange
Muskrat? with teeth and paws, Antique print c1857.

Muskrat? with teeth and paws, Antique print c1857.

by Richard, John H.

35th Parallel USPRR survey, Oklahoma to Los Angeles.

Fine steel engraving by P. Metzeroth (sc.= sculpted/engraved), after the drawing by John H. Richard, recording discoveries of wildlife during the United States Pacific RailRoads Expedition and Surveys. Published in New York c1857 - with fine later hand-colour. This wonderful portrayal records a sighting of the animal during surveys of the 35th Parallel (between California and Oklahoma).

In 1853 the U.S. Congress commissioned the Army's Topographical Bureau to conduct a series of surveys to find a suitable route for a transcontinental railroad between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. There were six major expeditions: five of the land between the Great Plains and west coast, and the sixth explored the coastal states of California and Oregon. All of the expeditions were accompanied by naturalists and artists to document the landscape, flora and fauna along the route.

To the border line measures 235 x 180mm (9 1/4 x 7 1/8 inches). Page size is 287 x 210mm (11 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches). There is slight soiling around the edge

Stock Number: aoUSPRR.11Price: $125.00

Quantity