The Colton family and their Atlases are responsible for shifting the production of American maps from Philadelphia to New York in the mid-nineteenth century. Their first atlas, Colton's Atlas of the World , was published in 1855-1856. It was followed in 1857 by Colton's General Atlas which was of special interest because of the physical and political configurations of the western United States. Colton's maps are noteworthy for their clear detail, bright color, and decorative borders.