View from Gambles Hill, Richmond, Va.

An 1850s view from Gambles Hill in Richmond overlooks, in the foreground, the James River and Kanawha Canal, and beyond that, the falls of the James River, which provided water power for industry. Flour mills, tobacco factories, arsenals, and industrial companies, including the Tredegar Iron Company, line the riverbanks. In the distance two railroad bridges span the river: the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad bridge and the Richmond and Danville Railroad bridge.