Nice view titled Pittsburg, from Soldiers' Monument, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear  impression, nice hand coloring, approx. page size is 29 x 15.5 cm, approx. image size is 23 x 10 cm. From William Cullen Bryant's Picturesque America, published by D. Appleton & Co., New York.

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), the distinguished American poet and editor, practised law until 1825 when he switched avocations and became editor and finally owner of the "Evening Post". In 1872 he edited "Picturesque America" and was responsible for choosing artists rather than photographers to interpret the beauty of America. This beautifully executed steelplate engraving, exemplifies the high point of 19th century intaglio printing and is a testament to William Cullen Bryant's genius.

Pittsburgh

Introduction

city, seat (1788) of Allegheny county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. The city   is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which   unite at the point of the “Golden Triangle” (the business district) to form the   Ohio River. A city of hills, parks, and valleys, it is the centre of an urban   industrial complex that includes the surrounding cities of Aliquippa   (northwest), New Kensington (northeast), McKeesport (southeast), and Washington   (southwest) and the borough of Wilkinsburg (east). Inc. borough, 1794; city,   1816. Area city, 58 square miles (150 square km). Pop. (2000) 334,563;   Pittsburgh Metro Area, 2,431,087; (2010) 305,704; Pittsburgh Metro Area,   2,356,285.

History

Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking peoples were early inhabitants of the  region.  The conflict between the British and French over territorial claims in  the area  was settled in 1758 when General John Forbes and his British and  colonial army  expelled the French from Fort Duquesne (built 1754). Forbes named  the site for  the British statesman William Pitt the Elder. The British built  Fort Pitt (1761)  to ensure their dominance at the source of the Ohio. Settlers  began arriving  after Native American forces led by Ottawa chief Pontiac were  defeated in 1763;  an agreement subsequently was made between Native American  groups and the Penn  family, and a boundary dispute was ended between  Pennsylvania and Virginia.  Pittsburgh was laid out (1764) by John Campbell in  the area around the fort (now  the Golden Triangle). Following the American  Revolution, the town became an  outfitting point for settlers traveling westward  down the Ohio River.

Pittsburgh's strategic location and wealth of natural resources spurred its   commercial and industrial growth in the 19th century. A blast furnace, erected   by George Anschutz about 1792, was the forerunner of the iron and steel  industry  that for more than a century was the city's economic mainstay; by  1850  Pittsburgh was known as the “Iron City.” The Pennsylvania Canal and the  Portage  Railroad, both completed in 1834, opened vital markets for trade and  shipping.  The city suffered a great loss in 1845 when some 24 blocks of  businesses, homes,  churches, and other buildings were destroyed by fire.

After the American Civil War, great numbers of European immigrants swelled   Pittsburgh's population, and industrial magnates such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry   Clay Frick, and Thomas Mellon built their steel empires there. The city became   the focus of historic friction between labour and management, and the American   Federation of Labor was born there in 1881.

By 1900 the city's population had reached 321,616. Growth continued nearly   unabated through World War II, the war years bringing a particularly great boon   for the economy. The population crested at more than 675,000 in 1950, after   which it steadily declined; by the end of the century, it had returned almost  to  the 1900 level. Most citizens were still of European ancestry, but the  growing  African American proportion of the population exceeded one-fourth.  During the  period of economic and population growth, Pittsburgh had come to  epitomize the  grimy, polluted industrial city. After the war, however, the city  undertook an  extensive redevelopment program that emphasized smoke-pollution  control, flood  prevention, and sewage disposal. In 1957 it became the first  American city to  generate electricity by nuclear power.

The contemporary city

By the late 1970s and early '80s, the steel industry had virtually  disappeared—a  result of foreign competition and decreased demand. Many of the  surrounding mill  towns were laid to waste by unemployment. Pittsburgh, however,  successfully  diversified its economy through more emphasis on light  industries—though  metalworking, chemicals, and plastics remained important—and  on such  high-technology industries as computer software, industrial automation   (robotics), and biomedical and environmental technologies. Numerous industrial   research laboratories were established in the area, and the service sector   became increasingly important. Pittsburgh long has been one of the nation's   largest inland ports, and it remains a leading transportation centre.

Much of the Golden Triangle has been rebuilt and includes the Mellon Arena,   Point State Park (containing Fort Pitt Blockhouse and Fort Pitt Museum), the   Gateway Center (site of several skyscrapers and a garden), and the David L.   Lawrence Convention Center. The University of Pittsburgh was chartered in 1787.   Other educational institutions include Carnegie Mellon (1900), Duquesne (1878),   and Point Park (1960) universities, Chatham (1869) and Carlow (1929) colleges,   and two campuses of the Community College of Allegheny County (1966).

Central to the city's cultural life is the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh   (formerly Carnegie Institute), an umbrella organization consisting of a number   of institutions. Its museums include those for the fine arts and natural  history  (both founded in 1895), the Carnegie Science Center (1991), which now  also  houses the Henry Buhl, Jr., Planetarium and Observatory (1939), and the  Andy  Warhol Museum (1994), which exhibits the works of the Pittsburgh-born  artist and  filmmaker. Other institutions affiliated with the organization are  the Carnegie  Library of Pittsburgh, which contains more than 3.3 million  volumes, and the  Carnegie Music Hall. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra  performs at Heinz Hall, a  restored movie theatre.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (1893) is noted for its extensive   greenhouses, covering 2.5 acres (1 hectare). The city's zoo, in the  northeastern  Highland Park neighbourhood, includes an aquarium. Two new sports  venues opened  in 2001 on the north bank of the Allegheny opposite the Golden  Triangle: PNC  Park is home of the Pirates, the city's professional baseball  team, and Heinz  Field houses the Steelers, its professional gridiron football  team. The  Penguins, Pittsburgh's professional ice hockey team, were scheduled  to begin  play in Consol Energy Center at the start of the 2010–11 season.  Popular  summertime attractions include riverboat excursions on Pittsburgh's  waterways  and Kennywood, an amusement park southeast of the city in West  Mifflin.