Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing Railway Depot at Philadelphia.

About this Item

Title

  • Railway Depot at Philadelphia.

Summary

  • This lithograph of 1832 shows the depot of the Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown Rail Road Company, located at the junction of Green and Ninth Streets, Philadelphia. In the foreground is a locomotive, which is seen pulling passenger cars. The Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown Rail Road Company was incorporated on February 17, 1831, under a charter enacted by the Pennsylvania legislature. Rails were laid between Philadelphia and Germantown and the line was opened on June 6, 1832. The first trains were drawn by horses and covered the six miles (9.66 kilometers) from Philadelphia to Germantown in about 45 minutes, a speed of around eight miles (12.87 kilometers) per hour, considered very fast at the time. On November 23, 1832, a steam locomotive was introduced. It could pull four cars with passengers from Philadelphia to Germantown in 28 minutes. The fare was 25 cents. This print, made shortly after the introduction of the locomotive, has been attributed to William L. Breton, a watercolorist and early lithographer of Philadelphia scenes who was active in the city between about 1825 and 1855. Born in England circa 1773, Breton immigrated to Philadelphia around 1824. In the late 1820s, he contributed illustrations to Annals of Philadelphia, compiled by the antiquarian John F. Watson. In 1829 Breton entered the lithographic trade to execute the illustrations for the Annals. He continued to work with the printers of the plates, the first commercial Philadelphia lithographers, Kennedy & Lucas, throughout the early 1830s.

Names

  • Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist.

Created / Published

  • Philadelphia : Kennedy & Lucas's Lithography, 1832.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
  • -  1832
  • -  Cities and towns
  • -  Lithographs
  • -  Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown Rail Road Company
  • -  Railroad cars
  • -  Railroad locomotives
  • -  Railroad stations
  • -  Railroads

Notes

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Philadelphia on Stone

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670202

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Breton, William L., Circa Artist. Railway Depot at Philadelphia. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1832. Philadelphia: Kennedy & Lucas's Lithography. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670202/.

APA citation style:

Breton, W. L. (1832) Railway Depot at Philadelphia. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1832. Philadelphia: Kennedy & Lucas's Lithography. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670202/.

MLA citation style:

Breton, William L., Circa Artist. Railway Depot at Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Kennedy & Lucas's Lithography. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670202/>.