Name/Title
"New Braunfels" [Lithograph]Description
An 1876 lithograph of New Braunfels from the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway Company’s book “A Description of Western Texas.”Context
By the early 1880s, with a population estimated at 2,000, New Braunfels was linked by telegraph and rail lines with Austin and San Antonio, and textile factories along the Comal River were shipping cotton and woolen products.
“A Description of Western Texas" is an extensively illustrated guide for prospective immigrants to western Texas. Published by the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway Company in 1876, the text provides descriptions of the cities, towns, and counties of western Texas, complemented by additional information on a variety of topics of interest for those considering a move to the region. Executed in an accomplished, understated style, the lithographs serve as a marvelous invitation to the region.
Eberstadt called the book "a valuable description of the lands, towns, agricultural prospects of West Texas, of high interest for the lithographic views."