Making of the New York and Erie Railroad organizational diagram

Org charts tend to be a rather boring affair&mdash;with their lists of names and who reports to whom&mdash;but they didn&rsquo;t start out that way. One of the first in American business, is a stunning portrait of a classic institution&mdash;the New York and Erie Railroad. Drawn in 1855 and only rediscovered in recent decades, this diagram captured my attention and I finally took the time to…