Western North Carolina, a Vacationist's Map and Guide
This map produced by the North Carolina State Advertising Division illustrates the recreational opportunities of Western North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains form the geographic boundaries of the region; there are no images or opportunities noted beyond the state lines. The image consists of two maps. "The Fun" includes illustrations and labels of local tourist attractions. "The Hiways" is a standard road map of the same region.
Outdoor recreation opportunities are highlighted. The pictorial representation of the mountain ranges defines the map; by naming each mountain, the map makers indicate to the viewer that they are places worth knowing. Waterfalls, hiking trails, and lakes are also found across the map. This includes Fontana Lake, a lake created by a TVA dam.
Amenities are drawn all over the map. Trails, camp spots, small towns, and major roads traverse the entire landscape, making every labelled spot both visually and practically accessible to the traveler. The road map in the bottom right-hand corner to allow the prospective tourist to navigate their way to the attraction.
Notably missing from this map are any rivers and land or features from the surrounding states.
John Sink
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
North Carolina State Advertising Division
1956 (estimated)
State
Tennessee Valley Area: pictorial map
This pictorial map, produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority, shows the Tennessee River Valley region with particular emphasis on the proposed work and improvements of the TVA. As the map notes, there is "no scale," nor does it include a compass rose. The map has three major parts: the diagram of the proposed dams along the top of the image, the pictorial map of Tennessee, and an inset of Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the bottom right-hand corner. Taken together, all three parts contribute to a particular understanding of the regional geography.
The top diagram shows the location of proposed dams along the Tennessee River with respect to the distance from the mouth and the elevation. This is the product of the Tennessee Valley Authority's work in the region; it's mandate was to provide flood control and generate agricultural and industrial development in the region.
The colors of the map serve to emphasize the area under the TVA's domain, highlighting it in a light green while the rest of the land area is a muted cornflower blue. Mountains, hills, state lines, and cities are depicted in brown; roads are white and toponyms are in black. The rivers and title of the map are dark blue.
The Great Smoky Mountain inset acknowledges the growing importance of recreation and scenic tourism to the region. The National Park was newly established, and the roads linking Knoxville and Asheville, the two cities on either side of the Appalachians in this area highlight the connectivity, which should enable economic growth, of the mountainous landscape.
Library of Congress
U.S. Government Printing Office
1939
Tennessee Valley Authority
Regional; Multi-State
A Food Map of the United States
A 1930 pictorial map of the United States with a focus on the foods produced by each state. The colors of the map are vibrant, and the decoration stylized. Within each state, the artist/cartographer has drawn in imagery of the food products. Additionally, each state contains images of the peoples and cultural components of the state. These images are often racialized and stereotyped. Often, images are combined to create tableaux (chases, thefts, interactions), which usually serve to enforce stereotypes, particularly of African Americans. The bottom of the map contains a banner which gives a romanticized account of American progress. The map was published by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, and also serves as an advertisement for the company, noting all the locations of Great Atlantic and Pacific outposts and the efficiency of their shipping. Insets on the corners also highlight A&P, as well as representative circle maps showing the distribution of meat, fish, and poultry throughout the country. <iframe id="widgetPreview" style="border: 0px solid white;" src="http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=RUMSEY~8~1~290332~90061898&embedded=true&cic=RUMSEY%7E8%7E1&widgetFormat=javascript&widgetType=workspace&controls=1&nsip=1" frameborder="0" width="800" height="600"></iframe>
Louis D. Fancher
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P)
1930
Nation (United States)
Map of America's Making, A Chart of Places and Events
<p>This pictorial map depicts the history of the United States, with history seeming to be defined as colonial activity -- or even more broadly, white history (although it does record the historical locations of several Native American tribes). It records historical events such as battles and colonial discoveries; historical locations such as white American settlements and the place where the sod breaking plod was invented. The illustrations are largely confined to state borders, with the exception of rivers and migration trails or army marches. The bottom of the map contains insets with expanded illustration and context for a number of regions and events, such as "The Frontier" and "The Declaration of Independence". The map also extends beyond the borders of the United States and points out the colonial events on several colonial islands, in Mexico, and Canada, as well as routes that colonial explorers followed. </p>
<p>Follow the words wrapping around the border and you'll see a quote from the Gettysburg Address. <iframe id="widgetPreview" style="border: 0px solid white;" src="http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=RUMSEY~8~1~281366~90053951&embedded=true&cic=RUMSEY%7E8%7E1&widgetFormat=javascript&widgetType=workspace&controls=1&nsip=1" frameborder="0" width="800" height="600"></iframe></p>
Paul M. Paine
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
1930
Nation (United States)
Map of the Gifts of Nature to America
This 1934 pictorial map was created by the Kellogg Company. The titular "Gifts of Nature" refers to agricultural plenty, but the map also depicts historical sites, industry, and Native American tribes. Also shown are railroad lines, migration routes, and recreation. Insets on both sides of the map, as well as near the Great Lakes, connect these "gifts" to the development of the Kelloggs Company. The narrative begins with Native Americans, then depicts the original home of Kelloggs, then moves on to facts about the company's industrial prowess as well as a picture of the enormous Kellogg plant. The trajectory of this narrative advances an argument for progress and success: white dominance, homegrown business, and industrialization.
This narrative is supported by imagery throughout the map, as when Native American tribes are represented by tomahawks. Additionally, large labels throughout the map define swathes of land by their agricultural output: "The Heart of the Corn Country," "The Land of Cotton," etc. This indicates that the land itself has a destiny: to support the American people (specifically, through their consumption of Kelloggs!). Interestingly, the only human forms depicted are those of cowboys in the southwest.
Of the maps in this collection, this is the one that advances the most explicit commercial argument.
Kellogg Company
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Kellogg Company
1934
Nation (United States)
John Bull and his friends: a serio-comic map of Europe
This British cartoon map of Europe paints a belligerently nationalistic view of diplomatic relations in 1900. John Bull, Britain personified, is swatting away two cats -- Boer troops resisting British rule in South Africa -- while the rest of Europe condemns or conspires against him. What is significant about this map is the way that France is portrayed as less sinister than Germany, which is less sinister than Russia. While Marianne is shown looking glumly at broken toys labelled with the names of political and diplomatic incidents, Germany is represented by the Kaiser in uniform stockpiling battleships and exports, and Russia is an octopus with the Czar at its centre. One could argue that proximity is the defining factor: France is close to England and had perhaps been visited by the artist and his expected reader. Russia on the other hand is a very long way away, and thus understandably more sinister. Germany is between the two.
Frederick W. Rose
G.W. Bacon & Co., Ltd., London
1900
English
Historical Cartoon Map
Continental