Panama Railroad
These “image essays” gather together striking images on the same theme from across the books in the exhibit.
1869 represents a notable year in American history for the completion of a transcontinental railroad spanning North America, demonstrating rising American ability to transform national space. This, however, was only the second transcontinental railroad built by American enterprise. The first one was across Panama, completed in 1855 with steamship terminals on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, demonstrating newfound American ability to transform foreign space.
Hover over any image to see source information; right click on any image to see a larger version; look under Research Resources for guides to all images in the digital exhibit.
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [19].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/ed6cf8ce2eefc8c96f780194b9be2c99.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [19].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [30].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/0031769ffdb395c5d55ff057b27e1b8c.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [30].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [72].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/452b76958b3e7c15aa6b5a1f082ca8c0.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [72].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [99].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/f56fa7285b75f029b9586dff8e36dce4.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [99].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [94].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/da2e63b2901495e5334e1282476a0112.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [94].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [111].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/68ac81d15dfe79acd014316b350a71b7.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [111].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [114].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/97fdab9bc962154057f71ac45aa26bcf.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [114].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [123].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/86d4d445538e614275afea468d2d66cc.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [123].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [126].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/c8bf7c3754fe9e057459703fafbf665d.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [126].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [129].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/fbb802e46da5c8e9bf5418a95134c4c1.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [129].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [v].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/923bf1eef7c5efb578886ab8d4405685.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [v].")
![Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [vi].](https://globalamerica.indiana.edu/files/fullsize/98416241a90fcc2c2f4d43ff5457ab47.jpg "Fessenden N. Otis. Isthmus of Panama: History of the Panama Railroad: and of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1867. p. [vi].")