Charles Magnus: Mapmaker and Publisher
Charles Magnus (1826-1900) was born Julian Carl Magnus in Elberfeldt, Germany. He began his early career in Germany working for a silk firm. His family emigrated to New York City in the late 1840s, where he soon found his career in mapmaking and publishing.
The earliest works to bear Magnus’ name appeared in the 1850s, when he entered the publishing business producing pictorial broadsides and decorative maps. Perhaps the most notable Magnus work among collectors is his 1855 map of New York, which commemorated the “79th year of independence in the United States,” as so stated on the map. The map shows the entirety of Manhattan as well as nearby neighborhoods. It lends special attention to individual streets, blocks, parks and even important buildings. Magnus shows important ferry crossings, canals, and railroads as well with steamships navigating the Hudson River. This map is intricately hand-colored.
During the American Civil War, Magnus produced maps of battlefields. He visited battlefields himself to collect sketches, and he was one of the only people who was given permission to visit all of the Union camps. He also became known for his illustrated Civil War patriotic covers, bird’s eye views, and song sheets
Magnus produced about 1,000 works in total, and became one of the most prolific printers of broadsides and lithographs in the United States. Magnus' works excelled due to his superior printing technique, attention to detail, and variety of attractive subject matter.
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