![Map of Canonsburg 1897](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Map_of_Canonsburg_1897.jpg)
Pictorial maps (also known as illustrated maps, panoramic maps, perspective maps, bird’s-eye view maps, and geopictorial maps) depict a given territory with a more artistic rather than technical style.
It is a type of map in contrast to
road map
A road map, route map, or street map is a map that primarily displays roads and transport links rather than natural geographical information. It is a type of navigational map that commonly includes political boundaries and labels, making it a ...
,
atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geograp ...
, or
topographic map
In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but histori ...
. The
cartography
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...
can be a sophisticated 3-D perspective landscape or a simple map graphic enlivened with illustrations of buildings, people and animals. They can feature all sorts of varied topics like historical events, legendary figures or local agricultural products and cover anything from an entire continent to a college campus. Drawn by specialized artists and illustrators, pictorial maps are a rich, centuries-old tradition and a diverse art form that ranges from cartoon maps on restaurant
placemat
A placemat or table mat is a covering or pad designating an individual place setting, unlike the larger tablecloth that covers the entire surface. Placemats are made from many different materials, depending on their purpose: to protect, decorat ...
s to treasured art prints in museums.
Pictorial maps usually show an area as if viewed from above at an oblique angle. They are not generally drawn to scale in order to show street patterns, individual buildings, and major landscape features in perspective. While regular maps focus on the accurate rendition of distances, pictorial maps enhance landmarks and often incorporate a complex interplay of different scales into one image in order to give the viewer a more familiar sense of recognition. With an emphasis on objects and style, these maps cover an artistic spectrum from childlike caricature to spectacular landscape graphic, with the better ones being attractive, informative and highly accurate. Some require thousands of hours to produce.
The history and tradition of pictorial maps
![Map of Paris by Claes Jansz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Map_of_Paris_by_Claes_Jansz._Visscher_-_Harold_B._Lee_Library.jpg)
The history of pictorial maps overlaps much with the
history of cartography
The history of cartography refers to the development and consequences of cartography, or mapmaking technology, throughout human history. Maps have been one of the most important human inventions for millennia, allowing humans to explain and navi ...
in general,
and ancient artifacts suggest that pictorial mapping has been around since recorded history began.
In Medieval cartography, pictorial icons as well as religious and historical ideas usually overshadowed accurate geographic proportions. A classic example of this is the
T and O map
A T and O map or O–T or T–O map (''orbis terrarum'', orb or circle of the lands; with the letter T inside an O), also known as an Isidoran map, is a type of early world map that represents the physical world as first described by the 7th-ce ...
, which represented the three known continents in the form of a cross, with Jerusalem at its center. The more precise art of illustrating detailed bird’s-eye-view urban landscapes flourished during the European Renaissance. As emerging trade centers such as Venice began to prosper, local rulers commissioned artists to develop pictorial overviews of their towns to help them organize trade fairs and direct the increasing flow of visiting merchants. When printing came around, pictorial maps evolved into some of the earliest forms of advertising as cities competed amongst themselves to attract larger shares of the known world’s commerce.
Later, during the
Age of Exploration
The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafari ...
, maps became progressively more accurate for navigation needs and were often sprinkled with sketches and drawings such as sailing ships showing the direction of
trade winds
The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisp ...
, little trees and mounds to represent forests and mountains and, of course, plenty of sea creatures and exotic natives, much of them imaginary. As the need for geographical accuracy increased, these illustrations gradually slipped off the map and onto the borders and eventually disappeared altogether in the wake of modern scientific cartography.
19th century
As cartography evolved, the pictorial art form went its own way and regained popularity in the 19th century with the development of the railroads. Between 1825 and 1875, the production and collection of panoramic maps of cities rose to something of a mania. In the U.S. alone, thousands of panoramic maps were produced. The leading panoramic map artists in the U.S.A. were
Herman Brosius,
Camille N. Drie,
Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler,
Paul Giraud,
Augustus Koch,
D. D. Morse,
Henry Welge
Henry may refer to:
People
* Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal ...
, and
A. L. Westyard.
Sometimes artistic exaggeration bordered on the fraudulent, as some travelers were drawn by images of idyllic, bustling towns with humming factories only to find a sad little bunch of mud-soaked shacks when they got there. A vast collection of these prints is maintained by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
, and many of the more beautiful ones continue to be reprinted and sold to this day.
20th century
![1931 Bruce-Roberts Pictorial map of Gangland Chicago](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/1931_Bruce-Roberts_Pictorial_map_of_Gangland_Chicago.jpg)
With the growth of tourism, pictorial mapmaking reappeared as a popular culture art form in the 1920s through the 1950s, often with a whimsical
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
style that reflects the period. Many of these maps were commissioned by commercial entities (banks, oil companies, &c.), and in many cases the artists (often draftsmen working for architecture firms) are not attributed. One of the early examples of the pictorial maps was published in the German arts magazine ''
Das Plakat''.
These were the reproductions of two political cartoon maps of Europe which had been produced by
Paul Hadol
Paul Hadol (1835 in Remiremont – 1875 in Paris) was a French illustrator, draftsman and caricaturist.
Hadol collaborated with periodicals such as ''Le Gaulois'', '' Le Journal Amusant'', ''High Life'', '' Le Charivari'', ''Le Monde comique'' ...
in 1870 and by
Walter Trier
Walter Trier (25 June 1890, Prague – 8 July 1951 Craigleith, near Collingwood, Ontario, Canada) was a Czech-German illustrator, best known for his work for the children's books of Erich Kästner and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput' ...
.
[ A number of such maps are still published (originals going for hundreds or thousands of dollars today). Among the best-known maps of this era today are the 1926 Manhattan map of C. V. Farrow, and the Western maps of ]Jo Mora
Joseph Jacinto Mora (October 22, 1876 – October 10, 1947) was a Uruguayan-born American cowboy, photographer, artist, cartoonist, illustrator, painter, muralist, sculptor, and historian who lived with the Hopi and wrote about his experiences in ...
Another resurgence occurred in the 1970s and 80s. This was the heyday of companies like Archar and Descartes who produced hundreds of colorful promotional maps of mainly American and Canadian cities. Local businesses were flatteringly drawn on these "Character maps" with their logos proudly embedded on their buildings.
Pictorial map-makers up to modern times
Many mapmakers traveled from city to city enlisting the support of local merchants, industrialists and civic organizations, whose endorsement would of course guarantee a prominent place for their properties on the map.
Edwin Whitefield
Edwin Whitefield (September 22, 1816 – December 26, 1892) was a landscape artist who is best known for his lithographed views of North American cities and for a number of illustrated books on colonial homes in New England.
Born in East ...
for instance, one of the more prolific 19th-century American pictorial map artists, would require about 200 subscribers before he put pen to paper. Once he secured the profitability of the venture, Whitefield would be seen all over town furiously sketching every building. Then, choosing an imaginary aerial vantage point, he would integrate all his sketches into a complete and detailed drawing of the city. Then after that, say the chroniclers of the time, Whitefield would once again be seen furiously darting all over town to collect from all his sponsors.
Says Jean-Louis Rheault, a contemporary pictorial map illustrator: "Pictorial maps - with their emphasis on what's important and eye-catching - make it easier to figure out what's where."['Map offers warped beautiful view of Bayview Cemetery'.The Bellingham Herald March 23rd 2009]
![The Man of Commerce - Anthropomorphic map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/The_Man_of_Commerce_-_Anthropomorphic_map.png)
Anthropomorphic maps
A type of pictorial maps are map
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
s that use anthropomorphic images. Anthropomorphic maps date back to when Sebastian Münster
Sebastian Münster (20 January 1488 – 26 May 1552) was a German cartographer and cosmographer. He also was a Christian Hebraist scholar who taught as a professor at the University of Basel. His well-known work, the highly accurate world map, ' ...
used a queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
to depict Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
in 1570. The map, ''The Man of Commerce,'' by Augustus F. McKay is the earliest anthropomorphic map known of in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, created in 1889.
See also
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* , a free project mapping the world's roads using GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
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References
Panoramic Maps Collection
Further reading
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External links
Pictorial Map Collection, St. Louis Public Library Digital Collections
1936 Pictorial Map of London
Library of Congress
See Pictorial Maps in Persuasive Cartography, The PJ Mode Collection
Cornell University Library
Bird's Eye View Map of Budapest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pictorial Maps
Map types
Infographics