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Posted by: Amelia Raines
Miller Jaquet, Junior Fellow in the Geography and Map Division, explores the cartography of West Africa and what maps reveal about power, politics, and how we got HERE.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, 20th century cartography, African American History, African History, Guest Posts
Posted by: Cynthia Smith
This post features selected maps that were created under the auspices of the Federal Writers' Project.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, African American History, American History, Manuscripts
Posted by: Meagan Snow
This post details the broad history of coal and iron-ore deposit in Alabama, including the founding and building of Birmingham and the use of convict labor in the mines.
Posted in: African American History, American History, City Histories
Posted by: Abraham Parrish
The Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL) was a prominent passenger and freight railway in the south in the late 19th and beginning 20th centuries. Headquartered in Portsmouth, VA, the rail line’s primary backbone connected southern states starting in Virginia and southward to the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Started in 1832 with its earliest predecessor, …
Posted in: African American History, American History
Posted by: Amelia Raines
This post is a compilation of the Places in History series written by G&M staff in 2011 and 2016, which explores maps produced during the Civil War, their creation, and the geography they depict. Previous blog posts based on that series can be seen under Places in Civil War History. Mapping Slavery According to the 1860 …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, African American History, American History, Military History, Series: Places in Civil War History
Posted by: Carissa Pastuch
Elmer Simms Campbell’s pictorial night-club map showing Harlem’s hotspots for entertainment, dining, and drinking appeared as a centerfold in the January 18, 1933, edition of the short-lived weekly Manhattan Magazine. His work was an important contribution to Harlem’s cultural renaissance—it serves as a time capsule—the itinerary and guide of a typical Friday night at the …
Posted in: 20th century cartography, African American History, American History, City Histories
Posted by: Julie Stoner
This is a guest post by Iris Taylor, a senior cataloging specialist in the Geography and Map Division. It is a common belief that you can acquire inspiration from a variety of people, places, or things. Seanna Tsung, a Library of Congress staff member, recently uncovered a unique collection of maps in the Geography and …
Posted in: 20th century cartography, African American History, Biography, Guest Posts, Women's History
Posted by: John Hessler
No good result can come from any investigation which refuses to consider the facts. A conclusion that is based upon a presumption, instead of the best evidence, is unworthy of a moments consideration. –Ida B. Wells, 1901 The use of cartography to highlight economic and …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, 20th century cartography, African American History, American History
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
Historically, “cartographer” has commonly been a profession wearing many hats: artist, craftsman, communicator, documentarian, entrepreneur, and pioneer (among many others). To celebrate cartographers who embraced these multitudes of roles to achieve success, it is worth remembering their stories. Today, we recognize Grafton Tyler Brown, a trailblazing African American cartographer of the Pacific Northwest. Brown was …
Posted in: African American History, Biography