Birdseye Views
The Clarke Historical Library has a very large collection of "Birdseye Views", which were extremely popular projects among 19th century Michigan towns. With the advent of lithography these views could be produced cheaply and in great quantities. The vast majority of separately issued American city views came from lithographic presses, beginning after the Civil War and continuing into the first years of the 20th century.
The companies which made birdseye views followed a very well defined business model. The local paper printed announcements for the plan for such a view, sharing early on the need for townspeople to subscribe to the project in order to ensure its completion. An artist visited the city to sketch the community, and the sketches were shown publicly both to ensure accuracy and to increase sales.
The majority of city views can be regarded as generally accurate in showing the city as a whole as well as in showing details such as shipping, railways, churches, museums, shops, farms, forests, rivers, mansions, cottages, etc. and their surroundings.