George F. Cram (1842-1928), or George Franklin Cram, was an American mapmaker and businessman. During the Civil War, Cram served under General William Tecumseh Sherman and participated in his March to the Sea. His letters of that time are now important sources for historians of the Civil War. In 1867, Cram and his uncle, Rufus Blanchard, began the company known by their names in Evanston, Illinois.
Two years later, Cram became sole proprietor and the company was henceforth known as George F. Cram Co. Specializing in atlases, Cram was one of the first American companies to publish a world atlas. One of their most famous products was the Unrivaled Atlas of the World, in print from the 1880s to the 1950s.
Cram died in 1928, seven years after he had merged the business with that of a customer, E.A. Peterson. The new company still bore Cram’s name. Four years later, the Cram Company began to make globes, a branch of the business that would continue until 2012, when the company ceased to operate. For the final several decades of the company’s existence it was controlled by the Douthit family, who sold it just before the company was shuttered.
Rare early map of Illinois, published by Rufus Blanchard prior to his move to Chicago. Includes a 'Table of Statistics' and 'Meridians and Baselines' in the lower left corner. The map is printed using the cerographic printed method, an American...
Scarce issued map of the City of Chicago by Rufus Blanchard, one of the leading map makers in Chicago during the late 19th Century. Provides a detailed look at the City of Chicago. The present example was apparently re-issued by George Cram and would...
Rare Chicagoland Map Showing Extent of Great Fire. This is a rare separately issued folding map by Rufus Blanchard, creator of some of the earliest maps of Chicago. This 1872 edition of the map shows the extent of the Great Chicago Fire which had...
The Only Known Example of Blanchard's Pocket Map of California & Nevada Rare Pocket Map of California and Nevada, published in Chicago by Rufus Blanchard. Interesting pocket map of California and Nevada, published during boom times in Nevada,...
