Powder Horn or Map? Both!

One of the photos I chose for my recent Flickr album, All Over the Map, caught my attention not just for the image, but also the associated title. This 1930 news photo from the Harris & Ewing Collection says, as part of its original caption: “Quite a contrast between the modern map in the background and the powder horn map being held by Miss Betty Jones at the Library of Congress.”

I paused and read that one sentence again. This photo was taken at the Library of Congress? And the horn in her hand is actually a map? I read the entire caption, and learned that Jones is holding a powder horn, with a Colonial era map drawn on the surface. Looking a bit closer, we see that she has two more horns in her lap. How curious!

The old and new in maps. Quite a contrast between the modern map in the background and the powder horn map being held by Miss Betty Jones at the Library of Congress. The horn maps, made from the horns of bullocks, were so much used in early Colonial Wars, 1739 to 1760, and during the Revolutionary War, that they were a necessary part in military equipment. They are considered the earliest American road maps, since they related principally to inland parts of the country, the skillful engraving showing New York, Quebec, and other early cities, and the trails leading to them. They also carried the British coat of arms and the name of the owner: In Colonial days the powder horn maps were given as prizes instead of silver loving cups as of today, and they were handed down from one generation to another as heirlooms. Photo by Harris & Ewing, 1930 November 17. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hec.36104

It didn’t take long to discover that, yes, these powder horn maps are indeed here at the Library of Congress as part of the collections of the Geography & Map Division. Two of these maps appear online:

The second one, featuring an engraved map on the theme of Lord Cornwallis’ surrender, is likely the one you can clearly see on Jones’ lap in the above photo. These types of horns were also the subject of a 2017 blog post from the Geography & Map (G&M) Division: Powder Horn Maps of Colonial America.

It was so delightful to come across this connection between our two divisions’ collections. One of the wonderful things about the Library’s vast holdings is how they can inform each other and provide researchers with the opportunity to make these same kinds of connections every day!

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