Swann Galleries - Photographs & Photobooks - Sale 2426, October 25, 2016

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(STEREOS—PITTSBURGH RAILWAY RIOTS)

A group of 12 dramatic stereo views depicting the aftermath of the Pittsburgh Railway

Riots of 1877.

Including jaw-dropping scenes of Pittsburgh in ruins: burned rail car wreckages and shells of

buildings litter the landscape.Albumen prints, the images measuring approximately overall 3

inches (9.2x16.5 cm.), on cream mounts, nearly all with handwritten numbers and printed captions

identifying the entire set, on mount verso; lightly soiled. 1877

[1,000/1,500]

Due to various economic hardships and an increasing level of dissatisfaction during the Long

Depression, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 erupted after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cut

wages for a third time that year.The wage cuts and striking spread across the nation to NewYork,

Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, and Illinois, but were worst in Pittsburgh, escalating quickly into

riots in which strikers burned 39 buildings, 120 locomotives, and over 1000 rail cars. Looting,

ransacking, and pillaging

estimated 60 people were killed and between $4 and $7 million

dollars of damage was sustained to the city and railroad.

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(MAINE CENTRAL RAILROAD)

A pair of albums with 91 large-format

photographs documenting various early

buildings and structures along the

Maine Central Railroad.

The images depict train stations; conductors;

depots; water towers; various bridges; and Post

Office,Western Union, and American Express

locations. The highly detailed photographs

often capture subtle figures within the frame:

peering through a window, lurking in the

shadows, or standing on a bridge in the

distance.Albumen prints, the images measuring

inches (19.7x24.8 cm.), mounted

recto/verso to boards. Oblong 4tos, black leatherette, with an MCRR stamp on the inside front covers,

lightly worn, one with a reconstructed binding. Circa 1878

[1,200/1,800]

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