Background
Colton was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and moved to New York in 1831 to establish his firm.
Colton was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and moved to New York in 1831 to establish his firm.
Foreign the first ten years, Colton licensed the use of maps from established engravers such as Samuel Stiles and David H. Burr. Colton went on to create railroad maps, immigrant guides, folding pocket maps, large wall maps, and elaborate atlases. J.H. Colton Company maps were printed using engraved steel plates, which produced higher quality prints than maps made with less costly wax engravings.
They were often individually hand watercolored and were recognized for their decorative borders.
They were also the first maps to purchase copyrighted works of other map makers to republish copyrighted maps. In 1857, Colton was awarded a $25,000 commission by the Government of Bolivia to produce 2500 large maps of the country.
Colton completed the contract, but was not paid by Bolivia, which was mired in revolution. Colton pursued a high-profile legal case against the Bolivian and Peruvian governments and after considerable delay was awarded $100,000 in compensation and damages.
Maps published by J.H. Colton can be found in the historical archives of most of the United States. states, (including Mississippi, Louisiana, and Maryland) and of many national governments (including the United States Library of Congress).
They are also found in university and museum collections (including at University of Kansas, University of Texas, and Princeton University).