Produced by one of the early pioneers of the form, Prussian-born Albert Ruger, this bird's eye perspective of East Saginaw, Michigan, depicts the city in a period of significant growth and transformation following the conclusion of the American Civil War only two years prior. East Saginaw was incorporated as a city in 1859 and would experience considerable growth during the latter portions and early parts of the twentieth century as a major manufacturing hub that attracted residents and merchants alike who established neighborhoods and communities along cultural lines and shared heritages many of which exist to this day. Bird's eye perspectives, or panoramic maps, were created as marketing materials designed to entice residents to burgeoning towns by highlighting economic opportunities, schools, religious communities, and natural features. They bear a highly distinct aesthetic and unique style that is immediately recognizable and transports the viewer back in time, creating a link between the present and the past that illustrates the evolution of the area over the course of its history. Ruger was one of the first cartographers to create bird's eye perspectives of towns and cities across the American Midwest, and his works would go on to inspire numerous other lithography houses to create similar works, each with their own artistic flourish. This depiction of East Saginaw shows it in a time of prosperity as the industrial revolution kicked off and manufacturing facilities drew residents from across the American South, and this map is an authentic piece of American cartographical history.
