Philadelphia: J.E. Gillette & Co., 1861. Large folding lithographic wall map with hand-colored outlining; 87 4/5 x 65 3/4 in. (2230 x 1670 mm). Dissected into 36 sections and laid down onto contemporary linen; edged with pink linen; contemporary metal rings along top; two marbled paper sections on verso, with old paper label. Scattered light spotting and offsetting; scattered separations along folds and at fold intersections. In modern red cloth chemise and slip case. Phillips, Maps and Views of Philadelphia, 429; Phillips, America, p. 706 (variant issue); Rumsey 2903 (suggests 8 variant issues); Ristow, p. 397

A rare and massive wall map of Philadelphia and the surrounding region: a fascinating and magnificent picture of the city following the Consolidation Act of 1854.

Impressively detailed, the map contains an inset general plan of Philadelphia, with an extensive index of businesses and services, as well as insets and details of the boroughs and townships of the surrounding region (with properties and ownerships indicated).

Until 1830, Philadelphia was the second largest city in the Union, when it was exceeded in size by Baltimore, as well as New York. The Consolidation Act, passed by the state legislature in 1854, extended the city's boundaries to include all of Philadelphia county. As a result, in 1860, the city was again able to claim to be the Union's second city. This map was executed after the 1860 census, and, in addition to showing a comprehensive street plan of the city, it depicts all the 15 boroughs and townships that were incorporated in the Act (Somerton, Haddington, Whitehall, Bustleton, Fox Chase, Germantown, Bridesburg, Frankford, Kenderton, Manayunk, Falls of Schuylkill, Hestonville, Tacony, Holmesburg and Paschallville). Each borough is shown with accompanying directories, some adjacent, but most integral with the plans themselves.