Thompson and West Home Villa of Gen. L.F. Carteé California: Circa 1878-1891
Thomas H. Thompson, formerly Captain Thomas, began his career preparing maps and atlases of Illinois and Iowa counties. At various times of his life he was in partnership with several different men, two of them, Louis Everts and Alfred Andreas, were old acquaintances from his army days. In 1870 Thompson and Everts began publishing atlases, releasing in that year what they called “combination atlas maps.” In the 1870 atlases, lithographic illustrations were placed at the rear of the volumes. After 1870 the illustrations were interleaved with township maps throughout the atlases. The atlases were sold by subscription by traveling salesmen.
Thompson and Everts dissolved their partnership in the early 1870s and in 1875 Thompson migrated to California. There he published atlases of Sonoma County (1877), Fresno County (1891), and Tulare County (1892). In partnership with West, he issued atlases of Santa Clara County (1875), Alameda County (1878) and Solano County (1878). All are illustrated with lithographic views and sketches similar to those in the atlases of mid-western counties with a splendid array of lithographed plates showing the farms, houses, and other features of the settlements of Alameda County
