What Makes A Great Decorative Map?
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Here are some of my favorite maps and why I think they are great...
J. Rapkin - Map of Egypt, 1851
A beautiful map for travelers in Egypt and surrounding lands. It conveys all the important geographical information, but its Egyption-inspired ornamentation is what lifts this map to greatness.
Revolutionary War Virginia
"Carte de la partie de la Virginie ou l’armée combinée de France & des États-Unis de l’Amérique a fait prisonnière l’Armée anglaise commandée par Lord Cornwallis le 19 octobre. 1781, avec le plan de l’attaque d’York-town & de Glocester." A French map of Virginia made shortly after the combined forces of France and the United States defeated Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. This map was made to show the French naval blockade of the English navy. A great piece of political propaganda that is absolutely brilliant in its map design.
Tavernier's Description Du Pays Armorique A Pres Bretaigne (1594)
An old map that shows how to control negative space with texture.
Map Of France As A Ship
Analysis of a map of France transformed into the shape of a ship for English propaganda of the French Revolution.
Gutièrrez's Map Of Americae (1562)
A beautiful early map of the old and new worlds, complete with Poseidon and hippocampus pulling a king across the Atlantic and a gorilla in the middle of the ocean!
Erwin Raisz - Map of the Lower Nile
See Raisz's use of physical geographic symbols to create a richly textured, informative Map of the Lower Nile.
Erwin Raisz - Vegetation Map of Modern Palestine
More of Raisz's physiography, this time incorporating vegetation patterns.
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