The Mitchell Company

The changing face and economic growth of the United States during the 19th century created an excellent market for maps and atlases for businesses, government, schools, and homes. One of the leading map publishers for most of this time was the firm established and headed by Samuel Augustus Mitchell.

Mitchell was born in 1792 in Connecticut and spent some of his early working years as a teacher. During his teaching years, he became quite dissatisfied with the available textbooks, and this led him to become a writer and publisher. He moved to Philadelphia, a major center for publishing at the time, and issued A New American Atlas in 1831 from existing plates. At this time, Mitchell began his collaboration with J.H. Young, who was the main compiler, draftsman and engraver for the Mitchell company into the 1860s.

The Mitchell company was one of the first to try out the new technique of engraving on steel plates, experimenting with steel almost 20 years before the rest of the publishing industry. He was printing with steel in the early 1830's; the general switch to steel was approximately 1850. During the early years of the company, Mitchell published mainly maps and travel guides until 1846, when he acquired the copyright to Tanner's New Universal Atlas. In 1846, the company also switched to steel engraving as their primary means of printing. The New Universal Atlas was published until 1859. In 1860, it was replaced by Mitchell's New General Atlas, and Mitchell Sr. retired and turned the business over to his son of the same name. The New General Atlas was published until 1893. Other Mitchell atlases include the School Atlas (1839-1886) and the Ancient Atlas, Classical and Sacred (1844-1874). The firm continued publishing into the 1890's and, at its height, employed 250 people and sold 400,000 publications per year. Mitchell Sr. died in 1868.

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