A high-grade example of one of the rarest, most celebrated large-format thermoplastic Union cases known to American photographic history: "The Landing of Columbus" (Berg 1-7), manufactured by Littlefield, Parsons & Co. and die-engraved by the master die-sinkers Frederick B. Smith and Herman Hartmann. Adapted directly from John Vanderlyn’s monumental 1847 canvas in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, the exterior lid presents an astonishing tableau in high relief, featuring Christopher Columbus brandishing the Royal Standard of Spain alongside kneeling friars, armored soldiers, and sailors claiming San Salvador. The central scene is framed by an upper cartouche of Columbus's flagship, a lower medallion depicting Indigenous canoes, and lavish cornucopia borders.

Large-format whole-plate pictorial Union cases of this caliber are extraordinarily scarce on the market,

Fine condition; we note only minute corner chips.