Latest Documents

Our Documents archive includes personal letters, newspaper articles, images, business documents and more. Documents are identified with a particular Topic, and are accessible through and used by our Views. This page shows users the most recently added and updated new documents in the collection. Our complete database search includes all documents and objects in the Railroads and the Making of Modern America collection from various archives and partners, public as well as private. The collection is refreshed and reindexed regularly to include new materials, usually at the beginning of every academic semester (August, December, May).

22 Documents found

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  • | Book

    Walden

    An excerpt from Henry David Thoreau's Walden. The progress represented by the railroad presents a mixed legacy to the rural life Thoreau treasures.

  • | Book

    A Manual of Etiquette with Hints on Politeness and Good Breeding

    Manuals of etiquette and behavior were incredibly popular during the 19th Century and covered every aspect of life from infancy to mourning. In this excerpt, some of the gendered expectations placed on a well-bred traveler are recounted in detail.

  • | Book

    Democracy, An American Novel

    An excerpt from Henry Adams' Democracy, An American Novel.

  • | Book

    Leaves of Grass

    An excerpt from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Whitman salutes the locomotive as a symbol of progress and writes of the hallmarks of a Western journey.

  • | Illustration

    Artists' Excursion Over The Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road

    Noteworthy for its marvelous illlustrations, this feature article portrays the joys of railroad travel.

  • | Illustration

    Nisi Pro Nobis

    "Except for us" - sun coming out after a cloudy journey.

  • | Illustration

    In The Beginning

  • | Illustration

    Anno Domini MMMM.DCCC.LIX

    The artist envisions the lasting legacy of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

  • | Illustration

    A Brother Artist

    A visual representation of the relationship between photographers and painters.

  • | Illustration

    Modern Chivalry

    Chivalry is part and parcel of the conductor's work.

  • | Illustration

    LEFT

    The plight of the tardy traveller is part and parcel of the narrative of travel.

  • | Illustration

    Ascending the Alleghanies

    A key illustration from the article features artists and guests riding the engine.

  • | Illustration

    The Model Conductor

    The characters encoutered along the rail journey are part of the artist's experience.

  • | Illustration

    The Old World and the New

    American railroad progress is compared with the adoption of the technology in England.

  • | Illustration

    Three in the Morning

    This image from the September 10, 1859 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a man dressed for a morning on the town.

  • | Illustration

    Part of the Illinois Central Railroad Depot at Chicago

    This image from the September 10, 1859 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a portion of the Illinois Central railroad depot at Chicago, Illinois. It illustrated an article entitled "The Great Graneries of Chicago," where it was noted "each of these immense buildings is capable of containing 700,000 bushels of wheat, and 225,000 can be received and stored in each of them in a single day."

  • | Illustration

    Farewell!

    This image from the October 9, 1859 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a farewell exchange between a man and woman.

  • | Illustration

    The Interior of a Hospital Car

    This image from the February 27, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the interior of a Union hospital car during the American Civil War. See Woman's Work in the Civil War on this site for the recollections of a hospital train nurse.

  • | Illustration

    Hospital Train from Chattanooga to Nashville

    This image from the February 27, 1864 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a Union hospital train crossing a railway bridge on its run from Chattanooga to Nashville, Tennessee during the American Civil War. See Woman's Work in the Civil War on this site for the recollections of a hospital train nurse.

  • | Illustration

    Omaha, Nebraska As Seen From The Old Capitol

    This image from the August 8, 1869 issue of Harper's Weekly shows the city of Omaha, Nebraska from the site of the Old Capitol building. Harper's Weekly and Frank Leslie's Magazine featured stories about highlights along the transcontinental route.