Chicago in 1848 was still a relatively small, raw, muddy city, growing at a pace that residents recognized would not always be graceful. On April 25, the Chicago Daily Journal published an engraving of improvements on the public square, showing the courthouse (1), with the Sherman House hotel looming behind it, the watch house (2), and jail buildings (3). The engraving was prepared from a daguerreotype, an early photographic process, and the Daily Journal editor, tongue planted firmly in cheek, noted: "It is proper to state, to prevent an erroneous impression, that 16 cows and calves, 10 horses and colts, and 30 or 40 dogs were driven out, and the gate-ways kept guarded, during the time the original picture was being taken. They were permitted to return, however, as soon as the artist left the ground."

Creator: Unknown
Source: Newberry Library (Case A6 162)