19th Century Survey Prints - Introduction The 19th century
United States Federal Government was interested to enlarge and
examine the country’s land holdings to the west and the south.
It commissioned many exploratory expeditions in order to
research information about these lands, and their potential
benefits, to the country. The expeditions included the United
States and Mexico Boundary Survey, the United States Naval
Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere, and the
United States Pacific Railroad Surveys. Imagery prepared to
describe the narratives and expedition findings included
topographical landscapes, scientific specimens, native peoples,
and anthropological artifacts encountered and collected. The
expeditions were staffed with naturalists whose collected
material many times found a home in the collections of the
Smithsonian’s U.S. National Museum. Read more about the surveys.