This is one of the most iconic maps of the late 19th century. It has been illustrated multiple times in both scholarly articles and books as well as the more popular media; it has been internationally exhibited multiple times and is an early example of what have become known as pictorial maps.



It was issued in the Graphic Illustrated Magazine in a special edition to commemorate the opening of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition of 1886. The commissioned artist was unknown for a long time but recently, it has been credited to a well known illustrator of the period, Walter Crane. The clue is a small illustration in the lower left corner, showing a small crane and the tiny initials 'W.C'.



Geographically, the map is extremely simple. Printed on Mercator's Projection, it highlights territories claimed by the British Empire in red. It also shows a network of commercial routes linking each region. Each of the areas is also labelled with a series of statistics such as size, population and their commercial activity with the United Kingdom. These statistics are credited on the lower margin to John Charles Ready Colomb, formerly of the Royal Marine Artillery who became an MP and a highly regarded imperial strategist of the time. Little more additional detail is shown.



Aesthetically, the map is inspired by the world maps of the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, using figures and animals to illustrate countries or continents. The lower left corner bears a tiger and an elephant representing India, the lower right bears a kangaroo representing Australia with a digger with his shovel. The central image of the decorative border is Britannia sitting comfortably on top of the globe.



At the time of publication, this map was hugely popular and was taken as a celebration of Queen Victoria's reign and Britain's Empire. Later scholars, aware of Walter Crane's socialist beliefs, have instead argued that this map represents a subtle critique of the imperial project. The three women in the upper margin representing 'Freedom', 'Fraternity', and 'Federation' hark back to the ideals of the French Revolution and are each wearing a red liberty cap. Meanwhile, the Indian labourer in the lower-left corner buckles under the weight of his burden, and the chained tiger looks up in rage at the British soldier holding its chain. Underneath the globe upon which Britannia sits is the figure of Atlas, normally standing proud, but here being squashed by the seated Britannia. Around his neck is a sash with the words 'human labour'.


Printed colour. [Framed] [WLD4685]