Posts from — July 2006

The Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine ran an exibition entitled, “Charting Neptune’s Realm From Classical Mythology to Satellite Imagery” from April 2000 – January 2001. The library has made available a series of lesson plans extending from this exhibit which provide a wealth of information on the history of cartography. Amongst the things I have learned so far:

A cartouche (kar-TOOSH) is literally a coffin of paper. It can be used to describe small packages such as a paper cartridge for a musket or pistol, to the scroll on the top of an Ionic column. In map making, the cartouche is the decorative enclosure on a map. In general terms, the cartouche is any decoration on the map itself that is self contained. Thus the seal and supporters of England including the lion, unicorn, and the shield is a cartouche. A picture of a dragon in the Pacific Ocean is an embellishment rather than a cartouche.

Italian mapmakers began using the cartouche on their maps in the 1500’s. They designed simple scrolls that later resembled carved, wooden panels. When the Dutch and Flemish became the leading cartographers in the mid 1500’s they added more embellishments. They were inspired by prints of the famous artists of their day. These were also copied and made into pattern books. They were embellished with mythical creatures, kings, queens, gods and goddesses. A particular print shop would have favorite designs they used again and again, just making slight changes. All maps were printed in black and white because they had not perfected the color registration (the alignment of different printing plates) so the maps had to be hand colored. The cartouche was the signature of the mapmaker. A great deal of information could be included in the cartouche. The name of the mapmaker and the date the map was made might be there or information honoring the country or leader who commissioned the map.

In the later twentieth century the decorating of the map with a maker’s cartouche has become less important, but maps for private purchase still retain the cartouche…

The lesson also points out the influence of the Baroque and Rococo styles on the decorative qualities of so many antique maps:

Baroque: 1600-1700;  Baroque style characterized by an excess of cherubs, leaves, fruit, animals, and allegorical figures. The style first appeared in Venice in the late 1500’s. Baroque art is large in scale and filled with dramatic details. The more dramatic baroque architect would replace the rectangular areas with curved areas.

Rococo: 1650 – 1790; Rococo is a simpler style. It was a style of art that flourished in western Europe from about 1700 to 1780. The term comes from a French word for a fanciful rock or shell design. It implies a refined, elegant feeling and style.

[tags]Antique Maps, Cartography, Cartographic History[/tags]

I have just subscribed to MapTrade, an email discussion list for antique map collectors, dealers and enthusiasts worldwide run by Barry Lawrence Ruderman at raremaps.com. Anyone can read the posts, but you must subscribe to be able to post. Hopefully it will be yet another source that helps me to get a glimpse into the world of map collecting.

[tags]Antique Map Collecting, Map Collecting, Antique Maps[/tags]

The British Library, Harvard and Yale Universities now suspect  E. Forbes Smiley III of stealing more maps than the nearly 100 maps he had already admitted to taking.

[tags]Map Theft[/tags]

When purusing Oxford’s Bodliean Map Room site, it is hard to miss the Gough Map. Dating from approximately 1360 A.D., the Gough Map of Great Britain (or The Bodliean Map) is presumed to be the oldest surviving road map of Great Britain. It was donated to the Oxford Bodeliean Library by Richard Gough in 1809. The cartographer is unknown and the map is orientated so that east is at its top. There is evidence of hierarchy (e.g. more important rivers are given more prominance,) and many settlements are lavishly decorated. Routes in and out of London are indicated in red, with distances marked in roman numerals. The British Academy has a project dedicated to finding out more about the map: how it was made, who made it, and why it was made. They have made an interactive Gough Map available using ESRI’s ArcIMS software, allowing users to pan, zoom in on and identify various map features. 

[tags]antique maps, Gough Map, Cartographic History, Bodliean Map [/tags]

If you have an interest in historical topographic maps, this site may be of interest. The site is home to an ongoing project headed by Christoper Marshall to amass a collection of historic USGS (United States Geological Survey) topographic maps. Don’t miss the section about the evolution of USGS maps.

Mr. Marshall started the collection while researching abandoned railroad rights-of-way from his home in Amherst, New Hampshire. He soon learned that no library in New Hampshire had a complete collection of the old USGS maps that were invaluable to his research. Mr. Marshall took it upon himself to bring a laptop and scanner with him on visits to various libraries, and proceeded to digitize many historic USGS topographical maps. The collection, with the help of other map enthusiasts, is gradually expanding beyond New England and is available for our viewing pleasure.

[tags]Cartographic History, Cartography, Antique Maps, Topographic Maps[/tags]

Jim Siebold maintains an interesting collection of cartographic images online. The images are sorted and indexed into four time periods in history: “Ancient” (6000 B.C. – 400 A.D.) “Medieval” (400 A.D. – 1300 A.D.) “Late Medieval” (1300 A.D. – 1500 A.D.) and “Renaissance” (1500 A.D. – 1880 A.D.). Some of the early sketch maps of Columbus are fascinating in their simplicity. The various indices reference the cartographer when known. While it is unfortunate that one cannot zoom in on the images, it seems to be a good site for getting some idea of the more prolific cartographers of the various time periods.

[tags]Antique Maps, Cartographic History, Cartographers[/tags]