Water Street in Sault Ste. Marie around 1850.

How Accurate are Historical Drawings?

The other Water Street drawing that shows the identical layout as the other picture.

When I collect early historical drawings, I always wonder how accurate of a depiction they are. Artistic license and all of that. I came across these two engravings that were unrelated to each other except that the subject matter is the same, Water Street in Sault Ste. Marie around 1850, before the locks were built. Even the flagpole that is prominent in one can be seen in the other towards the back with no flag.  It is not often one gets the opportunity to compare images this old side by side.

If you compare both pictures, it can be seen that the buildings and their positions are identical.  This assures me that this is an accurate representation of 1850s Sault. Looking closely, it can be seen that some of the buildings are identified including the Chippewa House and the Ste. Marie Hotel. The look and feel for life in the early Sault can be plainly seen through the figures in both pictures. These pictures are probably 1-2 years apart with slightly different perspectives. The rails running down the middle of the street were used for moving cargo from one ship to another, above to below the St. Mary’s Rapids and vice versa. The rapids blocked access to Lake Superior from the lower Great Lakes.

The Details are in the Drawing

Drawings like these were the photographs of the day and offer many of our only insights into what life and the world looked like before cameras. Widespread camera usage didn’t come into being until late 1850s. Often used for publications the drawings accuracy was important to help inform the public of distant places. Much of it spurred tourism to “See the world” during the Victorian era.

Not only are they accurate, but many are finely detailed revealing tidbits like building names and images of life before film. These early artists took pride on precision in their depictions painstakingly recreating every minute detail. In most cases, these early engravings are as credible as photographs. Their historical value is priceless.

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