Atkinson, Edward, 1827-1905
The Cotton Kingdom
Atkinson designed this map to convince northerners to embrace the Emancipation Proclamation as a path to a more efficient system of free labor.
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Barton, E. H. (Edward H.), d. 1859
Chart Exhibiting the Annual Mortality of New Orleans
Barton designed this longitudinal chart to study the relationship between yellow fever and other aspects of city life, including weather and seasonal changes.
Barton, E. H. (Edward H.), d. 1859
Sanitary Map of the City of New Orleans
Barton compiled this complex map to locate the origin of the yellow fever outbreak of 1853, even noting the arrival of ships in the city port.
Baxter, J. H., (Jedediah H.)
General Diseases in their Relation to Locality
Baxter used this chart to search for patterns of illness among those rejected for service in the Union Army.
Baxter, J. H. (Jedediah H.)
Chart XXXIV. Disease in its relation to Occupation
This is one of several charts that Baxter designed to showcase data collected during the war, a measurement technique that quickly became part of the new field of anthropology.
Baxter, J. H. (Jedediah H.)
Chart of Syphilis in Relation to Other Conditions
This is one of several charts that Baxter designed to showcase data collected during the war, a measurement technique that quickly became part of the new field of anthropology.
Blanchard, Rufus, 1821-1904
Historical Map of the United States
Inspired by the nation’s centennial, Blanchard used both new and facsimile maps to showcase the history of exploration.
Blodget, Lorin, 1823-1901
Chart of Average Summer Temperatures
This is one of five charts of temperature designed by Lorin Blodget, the first made in the United States and derived from decades of research collected by the Smithsonian Institution.
Blodget, Lorin, 1823-1901
Chart of Average Annual Temperature
This annual chart of temperature, designed and compiled by Lorin Blodget, was one of the earliest work by the famed lithographer Julius Bien.
Blodget, Lorin, 1823-1901
Map of Annual Rainfall
Blodget published several maps of seasonal and annual rainfall, the result of decades of observations collected by the Smithsonian, the Army, and other federal agencies.
Blodget, Lorin, 1823-1901
Map of Temperature and Rainfall
Blodget published several maps of seasonal and annual rainfall, the result of decades of observations collected by the Smithsonian, the Army, and other federal agencies.
Brewer, William Henry, 1828-1910
Map Showing the Distribution of Woodland
Francis Walker took care to include the latest maps of the physical landscape in his Statistical Atlas, in order to set the stage for the comprehensive population maps that would follow.
Brigham, Amariah, 1798-1849
Chart Shewing the Progress of Spasmodic Cholera
The international cholera epidemic of 1832 encouraged Brigham, and many others, to adopt maps to analyze the source and path of the disease.
Buckler, Thomas Hepburn, 1812-1901
Ground Plan of Baltimore City and County Alms House
Buckler adopted a cartographic approach to the cholera outbreak of 1849 by mapping the pattern of disease in the city as well as within the alms house.
Carpenter, F. B. (Francis Bicknell), 1830-1900
First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln
In this iconic portrait, Carpenter carefully reproduced the Coast Survey’s map of slavery in the lower right corner after noticing Lincoln’s attention to it.
Denison, Charles, 1845-1909
Climatic Map of the Eastern Slope of the Rocky Mountains
Denison designed several maps to promote migration to the Front Range, including this one touting the health benefits of Colorado’s climate.
Disturnell, John, 1808-1877
Climatological Map of North America
Disturnell was one of many to adopt Humboldt’s isotherm lines, here used alongside other measures to study “civilization” in North America.
Disturnell, John, 1808-1877
Agricultural Map of the United States and Canada
By the 1860s mapping agriculture had become commonplace, and spread quickly in the twentieth century.
Donnell, Henry Clay
The Presidential Elections of the United States
Donnell’s chart of presidential elections incorporates a tremendous amount of data, and is designed to illustrate the process of geographical expansion and the fluidity of political power.
Elliott, G. W.
Map of the United States, Showing by Colors the Area of Freedom and Slavery
One of many maps created for the 1856 election. The dark lines across the interior represent the expeditions of John Fremont, Republican candidate for president.
Phelps, Humphrey, 19th cent.
The World at One View
Large and detailed depictions like this were popular in schools and homes; note the depiction of landscapes and “female costumes” to represent geography.
Forry, Samuel, 1811-1844
Map of Climate Patterns in the U.S.
Forry, a physician, made the first map of climate patterns at the request of the Surgeon General, to study the relationship between geography and disease.
Galpin, Samuel Arthur, d. 1902
Maps of the Pacific Coast Exhibiting Various Subjects
By using the same base map to identify several different ethnic groups, Walker enabled the viewer to draw connections about patterns of migration and settlement.
Gilpin, William, 1813-1894
Map of the Basin of the Mississippi
Gilpin emphasized geographical relationships to showcase the “great basin” of the interior, which he predicted would soon become the economic, political, and demographic center of the nation.
Gilpin, William, 1813-1894
Map of the World Exhibiting the Isothermal Zodiac
Gilpin adopted Humboldt’s lines to “demonstrate” that the U.S. was destined for economic and political supremacy.
Gilpin, William, 1813-1894
Gilpin’s Hydrographic Map of North America
Gilpin designed this to shift the nation’s center of gravity westward toward the neglected interior, just as the nation acquired new territories in 1848
Graham, H. S. (Henry S.)
Map of Virginia and its Slave Population (August 1861)
The Coast Survey’s second map of Virginia was modified to reflect to growing division in that state during the secession crisis. Note the identification of “Kanawha.”
Graham, H. S. (Henry S.)
Map of Virginia and its Slave Population (June 1861)
The Coast Survey executed this map just as Virginians were debating secession in order to highlight the different interests around slavery in the state.
Graham, H. S. (Henry S.)
Map of Virginia and its Slave Population (September 1861)
The final edition of the Virginia slave map used Census data to pointedly illustrate the relative absence of slaves from the western half of the state.
Guyot, A. (Arnold), 1807-1884
Map of the Distribution of Rain
Guyot adapted this map to illustrate the dramatic differences of rainfall around the world, collapsing extensive data onto a single image.
Hart, Albert Bushnell, 1854-1943
Territorial Growth of the United States of America, 1783-1866
This type of map became popular in American schools in the late nineteenth century, a powerful visual depiction of the nation’s historical expansion and ideas of manifest destiny.
Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878
Temperature Chart of the United States
With this and other physical maps, Census Superintendent Francis Walker revealed his interest in thinking about the population in the widest possible terms.
Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878
Meteorology in its Connection with Agriculture
Notice that Joseph Henry uses this map to integrate several different aspects of the environment, including rainfall, woodland, and prevailing winds.
Henshaw, Frances A.
Frances Henshaw, Title Page to her Book of Penmanship
Henshaw was a student at the Middlebury Female Academy, and her journal reveals much about contemporary lessons in geography and penmanship.
Henshaw, Frances A.
Descriptive Picture of Kentucky
Henshaw’s picture of Kentucky indicates that she was taught to arrange material geographically, the same spatial approach to learning promoted by Emma Willard.
Henshaw, Frances A.
Map of Virginia
Here Henshaw traced a map of Virginia to practice penmanship and learn geography.
Henshaw, Frances A.
Descriptive Picture of Virginia
Alongside each hand-drawn state map, Henshaw visually rendered a description of each state to inscribe it in her memory.
Hergesheimer, E. (Edwin)
Map Showing the Distribution of the Slave Population of the Southern States
One of the first American attempts to translate the census into cartographic form, and a favorite of President Lincoln during the Civil War.
Hilgard, J. E. (Julius Erasmus), 1825-1891
Sketch of the Rebellion for 1862
This is the Coast Survey’s prototype for a map that captured the state of the rebellion in spring 1862. Note the detailed legend in the lower left marking battle sites and troop routes.
Hitchcock, Charles H. (Charles Henry), 1836-1919
Geological Map of the United States
This stunning map owed much to its antebellum maps of geology as well as the fine chromolithography of Julius Bien.
Hotchkiss, Jedediah, 1828-1899
Map of the Shenandoah Valley
Here is one of several original maps designed by Hotchkiss to promote the mineral wealth of the region, taken from his journal The Virginias.
Hotchkiss, Jedediah, 1828-1899
Map of Population in Virginia
Notice that Hotchkiss—a well-respected cartographer for the Confederacy—incorporated Hilgard’s “center of population” map in order to promote the centrality of Virginia after the Civil War.
Hotchkiss, Jedediah, 1828-1899
Topographical Map of the Rich-Patch Iron Region
Hotchkiss created this to lure capital to the region for mining and railroads alike. Note the candor in the lower left corner, and the attention to topographical detail.
Hotchkiss, Jedediah, 1828-1899
Map of Black Population in Virginia
Hotchkiss separated out the black population in this map of Virginia, and made notations regarding improvements. His data was taken from Walker’s Statistical Atlas.
Hotchkiss, Jedediah, 1828-1899
Five Manuscript Maps of Virginia
These maps date from the 1870s, and indicate Hotchkiss’ interest in thematic mapping to promote Virginia after the Civil War.
Houghton, Walter R. (Walter Raleigh), 1845-1929
Diagram of the History of Political Parties in the United States (to 1880)
Here is one of the many attempts to represent American history in graphic terms that flourished in the wake of the nation’s centennial, and which was updated in 1894.
Humboldt, Alexander von, 1769-1859
Carte des Lignes Isotherms par M. A. de Humboldt
Humboldt devised this chart to represent lines of equal temperature, which enabled observers to think about the relationship between temperature patterns and other phenomena.
Statistical Map of North America
This is typical for its time: the title claims it as “statistical,” the data is simply listed on the map. Soon thereafter maps would begin to represent statistics through shading and other techniques.
Johnston, Alexander Keith, 1804-1871
General Map of the United States
Here Johnston distinguished between states important and exporting slaves in order to convey areas of growth and decline in the south.
Kohl, J. G. (Johann Georg), 1808-1878
A Map Showing the Progress of Discovery on the West Coast
Kohl innovated the use of color along the coasts to indicate the stages of discovery along the coast as well as the interior.
Kohl, J. G. (Johann Georg), 1808-1878
Map of the Discovery of the East Coast of the United States
Kohl’s map of the east coast used vibrant color to depict phases of exploration as waves upon the shore. Note his careful discussion on the map of the voyages of Sebastian Cabot.
Kohl, J. G. (Johann Georg), 1808-1878
A Map Showing the Progress of the Discovery of the Gulf of Mexico
Here Kohl carefully identified river voyages as well as coastal discovery, from the sixteenth century to his own day
Leigh, Edwin
A View of the Relation of Slaves to Agricultural Wealth in Missouri
Leigh designed several maps to demonstrate the relative inefficiency of slave labor in Missouri, yet this includes so much information as to be difficult to understand.
Lindenkohl, H. (Henry)
Historical Sketch of the Rebellion (1863)
Each of these “sketches” attempted to tell the story not just of the latest state of affairs, but the progress over the war over time.
Lindenkohl, H. (Henry)
Historical Sketch of the Rebellion (1864)
The Coast Survey published several of these maps during the war, each of which detailed the progress of Union control as well as the relative population of the loyal and insurgent states.
Mallet, John William 1832-1912
Map of the Cotton Regions of North America
Mallet designed this complex map to guide the British as they developed cotton in India, drawing on existing geological and environmental maps from the era.
Maury, Matthew Fontaine, 1806-1873
Washington Map of the United States
Maury compiled this massive wall map to showcase new thematic maps on the eve of the Civil War, which appear along the lower edge of the map.
Maury, Matthew Fontaine, 1806-1873
The Washington Map of the United States, by M.F. Maury (1861)
The “Washington Map” was continually updated through the 1860s to reflect the availability of new information, as with the Eighth Census of 1860.
Morse, Sidney E. (Sidney Edwards), 1794-1871
Map of Slavery and the American South (1863)
The Coast Survey’s map of slavery inspired several variations, including this map illustrating a military strategy to defeat the Confederacy.
Neuman & Dinglinger, Lithographers
Chronological Chart of American History
Dalston’s chart is a variation on Emma Willard’s tree of time, and detailed early growth in the roots out to recent developments in the branches. Note the stages of social progress.
Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1822-1903
The Cotton Kingdom and its Dependencies
Olmsted issued this map in the midst of the secession crisis to convince the British to withhold support for the Confederacy; it is the first attempt to measure cotton production on a map.
Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 9-1944
Land Use Maps, Series 3
Geographer John Wright devised these maps to represent the dynamism of agricultural growth in American history. Each map represents change over a ten year period.
Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 9-1944
Land Use Maps, Series 1
Geographer John Wright devised these maps to represent the dynamism of agricultural growth in American history. Each map represents change over a ten year period.
Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 9-1944
Conquest of the South, 1861-1865
Here the Civil War is represented in stages, as popularized by Henry Lindenkohl and the U.S. Coast Survey in the “Sketches of the Rebellion,” included above.
Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 9-1944
French Explorations in the West, 1673-1743
This map adopted techniques used almost a century earlier by Johann Kohl to represent the stages of discovery through the use of color.
Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 9-1944
Transportation and Rates of Travel
Here Charles Paullin represented advances in transportation technology in geographic terms in order to depict the qualitative changes over the course of American history.
Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 9-1944
Land Use Maps, Series 2
Geographer John Wright devised these maps to represent the dynamism of agricultural growth in American history. Each map represents change over a ten year period.
Petermann, A. (August), 1822-1878
Map of Slavery in the U.S., Based on the Census of 1850
A European was the first to map American census data. The map at lower left shades the density of the slave population, and identifies the number of slaves per square mile.
Phelps, Humphrey, 19th cent.
Pictorial View of the World
This broadside also attempted to capture a wide range of information, including world topography, and graphs that charted world chronology and the lives of distinguished men.
Ramsay, David, 1749-1815
A Map Historical and Biographical Chart of the United States
At left is Ramsay’s map of the new nation, accompanied by his attempt to “chart” the American past since 1607, directly inspired by the timelines of Joseph Priestley.
Reynolds, William C.
Reynolds's Political Map of the United States
One of several maps made to promote Republican John Fremont’s campaign for president in 1856. Note that Kansas is highlighted, the center of violent conflict over slavery.
Sides, William
Map of the Medical Topography of Baltimore
Baltimore’s city physician Thomas Buckler designed this map to study the pattern of cholera in 1849, particularly as it related to the city’s water supply and to the outbreak of fever.
Smith, John F.
Historical Geography
Notice the zealously sectional interpretation of history in this map, especially the identification of northern liberty as emanating from Christianity, in contrast to southern slavery.
Sparks, John B.
The Histomap: Four Thousand Years of World History
This graphic depiction of history evokes Emma Willard’s “picture of nations” a century earlier, and was one of Rand McNally’s most popular sellers in the twentieth century.
Steinwehr, A. von (Adolph), 1822-1877
Map of the River Systems of the United States
Steinwehr was one of several skilled mapmakers who emigrated to the U.S. prior to the Civil War. This map integrates steam and wind power with agriculture to measure productivity.
Stevens, Isaac Ingalls, 1818-1862
Isothermal Chart of the Region North of the 36th Parallel &c.
The use of lines to represent average temperatures spread quickly in the nineteenth century. Stevens’ chart is designed to promote a northern transcontinental railroad route in the 1850s.
Tanner, Henry Schenck, 1786-1858
A Map of the World Exhibiting the Progress of Cholera
Frustrated by what he considered the flawed and misleading maps of cholera, Henry Tanner designed this world map to identify the geographic and chronological phases of the epidemic.
Tanner, Henry Schenck, 1786-1858
Map of the Canals & Railroads of the United States
The Philadelphia mapmaker Henry Tanner adapted his existing map of the U.S. to trace the cholera epidemic of 1832. Notice his use of red ink to identify the cities of the outbreak.
Trouvelot, L.
Map of Bison Distribution Over Time
This map depicts the shrinking bison population, highlighting the effects of expansion at the nation’s centennial. It became the model for William Temple Hornaday’s well-known map of 1887.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map of the Shifting Center of National Population, 1790-1870
Julius Hilgard innovated the technique of identifying the “center” of population at each decennial census, which had a profound effect on Frederick Jackson Turner’s concept of the frontier.
Keeler, W. J. (William J.)
National Map of the Territory of the United States
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs requested this map to represent the state of western development, highlighting land, mineral riches, and railroads.
Baxter, J. H. (Jedediah H.)
Plate IV. Illustrating by Gradation of Color the Prevalence of Syphilis
The Army collected extensive data regarding the health of Union soldiers during the Civil War, and thereafter Congress funded the effort to translate this information into cartographic form.
Baxter, J. H. (Jedediah H.)
Map of the Prevalence of all Disqualifying Diseases
This map was one of several designed to investigate the background and fitness of the Union Army, as well as those men rejected by the draft.
Warren, G. K. (Gouverneur Kemble), 1830-1882
Map of the Territory of the U.S. from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean
This was one of the first comprehensive maps of the maps, considered the most authoritative for years after it was compiled in connection with the railroad surveys of the 1850s.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Title page from Statistical Atlas of the United States
Walker’s Statistical Atlas, with maps executed by Julius Bien, was one of the first of its kind, and continues to command attention for its path-breaking use of maps and graphic illustration.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map Showing the Proportion of the Foreign to the Aggregate Population
Here Walker introduced Americans to a new kind of map that mapped information. Here population density is outlined in blue ink, while the foreign population is shaded in color.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map of the “Colored Population” Compiled from the Ninth Census
This map illustrated the black population in absolute terms rather than as a proportion of the overall population, as the Coast Survey’s map of slavery in 1861 had done.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map of Indian Population in the Western United States
Walker served as Commissioner of the Indian Bureau while also Superintendent of the Ninth Census in the 1870s, and in both capacities relied on maps.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map Showing the Proportion of the Colored to the Aggregate Population
Like the map of the foreign population above, this one was one of the first that enabled the viewer to think about the African American population in reference to the population as a whole.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map Showing the Distribution of the Constitutional Population
Walker’s map of population density established the categories that would be used on all his subsequent population maps in blue ink, enabling viewers to compare classes of information.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map Showing the Illiteracy of the Aggregate Population
Here Walker used a map to compare the distribution of two classes of information (rates of illiteracy and population density), introducing what is now a common analytical use for maps.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map Showing the Proportion of Deaths from Consumption to Deaths from All Causes
Walker chose several categories to map, including the incidence of different diseases and their relative effect on death rates.
Walker, Francis Amasa, 1840-1897
Map Showing the Distribution of Wealth
Walker integrated population density with this map of wealth to enable viewers to see possible relationships between the two.
Warren, G. K. (Gouverneur Kemble), 1830-1882
Map of the Territory of the United States from the Mississippi River to the Pacific (1858)
This is one of the first comprehensive maps of the west, considered the most authoritative for several decades, and prompted by the railroad surveys of the 1850s.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
Perspective Sketch of the Course of the Empire
Willard designed this comprehensive “picture of nations” to capture the advent of different civilizations, from the beginnings of recorded history down to her own day.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
Chronographical Plan of Willard’s History of the United States
Willard used a tree to depict American history as a unified whole even as the nation was descending into Civil War. Though designated a history of the “U. States,” it begins with Columbus.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
Emma Willard, “Introductory” Map of American History
This map opened one of the first historical atlases of America, created by the noted educator Emma Willard. Note that she marked not just the location of tribes, but their migration over time.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
The Temple of Time
Willard designed this graphic to teach the relationship between geography and history: the ceiling marks individuals, coordinated by pillars of time and the growth of nations on the floor.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
Emma Willard, “Ninth” Map of American History
In her final map of the historical atlas, Willard proudly asserted the admission of new states in the trans-Mississippi west, and detailed the transfer of territory from native tribes to the Union.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
American Temple of Time
In the American edition, Willard drew the outline of the continental nation as the backdrop, and asked students to detail the nation’s history and geography on the floor, ceiling, and pillars.
Willard, Emma, 1787-1870
Emma Willard, “First” Map of American History
Willard’s second map in the atlas marked the earliest voyages to America, and took pains to represent change over time. Note the inclusion of failed voyages and settlements..
Williams, Henry W. (Henry Willard), 1821-1895
Course of Cholera in Boston in 1849
This is one of many examples of a map designed for etiological purposes, in this case to locate the source of the city’s 1849 cholera epidemic.
Witzleben, Arthur de
Map of the Distribution of Deaths from Consumption Compiled from the Ninth Census
This was one of Walker’s first attempts to map disease data, by measuring deaths from consumption against deaths in the total population.
Witzleben, Arthur de
German Population. Compiled from Ninth Census
Francis Amasa Walker’s census maps of ethnicity were tailored to each group, and starkly illustrated their patterns of settlement in different parts of the country.
Witzleben, Arthur de
United States. Area: Acquisition and Transfer of Territory 1780 to 1870
The abbreviations on this map refer to Francis Walker’s comprehensive narrative, which detailed the territorial growth of the nation, from the colonial era down to his own day.
Witzleben, Arthur de
Map of the “Foreign Population” Compiled from the Ninth Census
This was one of Walker’s first attempts to map census data, and contemporaries noticed the stark comparison between it and the map of the “colored population” from the same report.
Witzleben, Arthur de
Map of the Distribution of Illiteracy Compiled from the Ninth Census
Walker applied the new thematic mapping techniques from Europe to every aspect of American life that he could quantify, including disease, wealth, literacy, and ethnicity.
Witzleben, Arthur de
Map of Population Density Compiled from the Ninth Census
Here designed this early map of the 1870 census convince Congress to fund an atlas of the census. Walker’s decision to map density reflected his concern with the growth of urbanization.
Witzleben, Arthur de
Map of the Distribution of Wealth Compiled from the Ninth Census
By mapping the distribution of wealth, disease, literacy, and other characteristics, Walker gave Americans entirely new ways to think about their nation.
Witzleben, Arthur de
Four Small Maps of Ethnicity, Compiled from the Ninth Census
Walker paid close attention to mapping ethnic groups within the U.S., and these efforts became even more sophisticated in the Statistical Atlas of 1874.
Woodbridge, William C., 1794-1845
Isothermal Chart
This chart adopted Alexander von Humboldt’s innovation of isothermal lines in order to enable students to investigate the relationship between temperature and agricultural output.
Woodbridge, William C. (William Channing), 1794-1845
Chart of the Inhabited World
Woodbridge devised this world map to represent not topographic detail, but social, cultural, and political geography.
Freedom and Slavery, and the Coveted Territories
Anti-slavery activist John Jay used this map to alert northerners to the threat of slavery in the west, and to promote the cause of the newly-founded Republican Party in the 1856 presidential election.