James E. Taylor Sketchbook of Philadelphia

This sketchbook was most likely created by artist James E. Taylor, a newspaper illustrator during and after the Civil War. James E. Taylor was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1839, graduated from Notre Dame, and briefly served with the 10th New York Infantry. He was particularly noted for the work he did in the American West after the Civil War. 

These fifty-seven pencil drawings show Philadelphia buildings in 1861, including shops and businesses, a church, a cemetery wall, taverns and hotels, residences, and schools. Each drawing is labeled with the building name and location, and include captions - some added at a later date - noting when buildings were torn down or rebuilt.