23 x 43 on sheet 39 x 52 (centimeters, height x width)
Notes:
This is an example of an overprinted or otherwise repurposed map, in this case a map of “The New Europe” following the end of World War I. It was produced by the United States Geological Survey and repurposed to advertise “War Savings Stamps.”
The verso of this map is a lengthy promotional overview of the USGS, “Map Makers for the People.” The text begins with historical information about the USGS and why, in that context, the agency choose to produce this map of “the New Europe . . . a thing of interest to every man . . . whose mind reaches beyond his immediate neighborhood. And one effect of the great war should be to hang that map in every man’s house.”
The text includes a detailed description of work the agency performed in providing battle maps and other materials for the American Expeditionary Forces and in connection with the peace conference at the end of the war. It also describes ongoing preparation of a “World Atlas of Commercial Geology,” which “will continue to be of use to the mineral industry of the United States long after the present emergency has passed.” And it concludes with historical examples of the USGS contributions to the nation’s industrial development.
For other maps in the collection using the same technique, Search > "Repurposed."
