Fort Worth Trade Review [caption title]

Fort Worth: W.W. Dexter, 1890. About very good.. 8pp. Newspaper folio, uncut, folding out to approximately 45 x 30 inches. Previously folded, with small loss at centerpoint of folds and minor wear along fold lines. A few nicks along edges, light toning and dust soiling. Contemporary ink stamps on first leaf recto. One full side printed in blue. A mammoth newspaper-style promotional for the Texas Spring Palace of 1890 in Fort Worth, "The most unique and attractive exhibit ever presented to the public; constructed, ornamented and decorated entirely with Texas products." This "special issue," more likely a one-off, is filled with illustrations of architecture and scenes from around the burgeoning city, as well as portraits of the men who served on the Texas Spring Palace committee. Included are a large, central image of the city stockyards, plus illustrations of significant commercial buildings, religious and cultural edifices, and the homes of several important personages. The final page carries a full-page real estate advertisement for the neighborhood of Arlington Heights by the Chamberlain Investment Company, its developer. Several additional advertisements are scattered on page six, including a number soliciting subscriptions to the Fort Worth Trade Review. Perhaps the most fanciful image is that of a prospective Texas Capitol building, backed by a promise of $4,000,000 in local investment should the state government decide to remove its seat to Fort Worth. Although subscriptions for the trade review are advertised, it does not seem to have been published regularly; of this "Texas Spring Palace 1890" promotional we locate only one other copy, at UT Arlington. A very good document of Fort Worth's exponential growth and ambition in the late-19th century.