A Swell Map Of New York Shewing The Way Of The Transgressor. With Helpful Hints For The Man About Town
- Title:
- A Swell Map Of New York Shewing The Way Of The Transgressor. With Helpful Hints For The Man About Town
- Alternate Title:
- A Swell Map Of New York Shewing The Way Of The Transgressor
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Held, John Jr.
- Date:
- 1925
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2499.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2499_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1920 - 1939
- Subject:
- Conduct of Life
New York City
Other Moral & Social
Pictorial
Romance/Love/Marriage
Satirical - Measurement:
- 26 x 18 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This satirical map of New York City by John Held Jr. gently satirizes the "Transgressor," the "Man About Town." Some of the landmarks identified relate in general to the life of young men in the city, including Wall Street ("where one begins as a bond salesman"), haberdashers (Brooks, Finchley), clubs (Racquet, Union, and several others unnamed), and Madison Square Garden. But many of the sites - and the presumed "transgressions" - relate to young women: Finch and Spence secondary schools and Barnard College, all women-only; "The Open Door - Unattached stenographers here"; "Ziegfeld Theatre - New Stage Door"; "Dudley Field Malone [well-known divorce attorney for the rich] Breach of Promise Problems"; "Ovingtons for Wedding Presents - tis better to give than to receive."
Held commends himself in the legend as "No Mean Mapmaker," while pointing out that "Locations are Slightly Cockeyed." The grid lines along the left margin spell out ABRACADDABRA (with CAD in the middle), and those along the top spell out "with A HO HO HO and A HE HE HE."
The map contains no date or other publication information, and the 1925 date is estimated. The verso contains simply the title words, "The Way of the Transgressor" in a decorative font, as it appears in Held's book, "The Works of John Held Jr." (New York: Ives Washburn 1931).
John Held Jr. was one of the country's best-known and most successful illustrators of the 1920s and early 30s. His distinctive, lively, satirical cartoons appeared regularly in the leading magazines, including the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Life, Harper's Bazaar, Judge, and Century, and he illustrated Scott Fitzgerald's "Tales of the Jazz Age." Held was a Mormon, and "his background informs the cartoons with a certain ethical judgment and sensitivity." (Nelson 2008.) At the same time, he combined his unique humor and artistic skill with a great eye for the cultural changes - and excesses - of the age. For other of his works in the collection, Search > "Held Jr."
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.