Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

May 23, 1993
By David Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society

Viewbook touted community’s assets

The historical treasure of the week is a set of viewbooks titled, “Art Work of Terre Haute, Indiana,” published in 1907 by the Gravure Illustration Co.

The nine-volume set was given to the museum by Dr. C.M. Combs in 1949. It is in almost perfect condition.

Shortly after the Civil War ended, cities and towns across the nation began efforts to capture some of the prosperity offered by the expanding industrial age. There was intense competition to attract new business firms and industrial plants.

Viewbooks were one of the ways developed to sell communities. The popularity developed on the east coast with a number printed about cities in the Midwest. The books were rare in the West.

At times they were published locally, but a number of companies with the sole purpose of publishing viewbooks developed.

The richer the community, the more opulent the viewbook. Some were published as a single volume while others , like our set, were published as a series. The covers usually were a rich, dark color with lettering in very ornate script printed in an opposing shade.

The dark colors probably were intended to give the appearance of the solidity of the community. Viewbook publishers probably felt bright and cheerful colors would make the city appear frivolous to any prospects.

Interior pages generally were printed in black and white or in halftones. Colors were rare.

Pictures almost always were of homes, parks, natural surroundings, school and public buildings. The pictures show a city in the most imposing light, offering the reader proof that this city would be a pleasant and rewarding place to live and work. Often the viewbooks included a text of the history of the city and surrounding countryside, though there are examples of viewbooks with pictures only.

“Art Work of Terre Haute, Indiana” is a fine example of the more imposing type of a viewbook. The nine volumes are encased in a folding “presentation binder” that ties shut with two ribbons.

“Terre Haute” is printed in gold on the binder. The volumes are black with ornate gold script intertwined with sinuous lines and scrolls.

The pages of the books are filled with examples of the homes of Terre Haute’s elite of the time.

It also has examples of the public schools, a view of the courthouse, local institutions of higher learning, churches and some idyllic landscapes.

Many of the structures proudly pictured on the viewbook’s pages now have vanished, victims of time and newer fashions. “Art Work of Terre Haute, Indiana” remains to remind us that Terre Haute always had been proud of itself, its citizens’ accomplishments and of their view that it is a good place to live.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

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