Italia Geografica Statistica e. Postal [Shotgun Map of Italy]
- Title:
- Italia Geografica Statistica e. Postal [Shotgun Map of Italy]
- Alternate Title:
- [Shotgun Map of Italy]
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Prada, G.
- Other Creators:
- Antonio Vallardi, publisher; E. Bernard & C., advertiser
- Date:
- 1910
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2544.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2544_01.jpg
- Measurement:
- 82 x 61 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This is a routine map of Italy modified and overprinted to serve as a poster advertisement for shotguns.
The original map is entitled "Italia Geografica Statistica E. Postale. Incisa da G. Prada. Milano. Presso Antonio Vallardi Editore. Via S. Margherita. 1888." (Rumsey G6710 1888 .V3. There is an apparently identical imprint dated 1887 at BnF #GE C-2798.) The title block is in the upper right hand corner and the scale and legends at the lower right. At the lower left is a portion of Tunisia overlaid with a map showing the route of travel from Milan to Paris by rail.
In the revised version here, the title has been moved to a spot between Sardinia and Sicily and much truncated. (The calligraphy remains the same, but the references to Prada, Milan, Vallardi, and the date are omitted.) The scale and legends have been moved up, to the east of Sicily. All of the original map south of Sardinia and Sicily has been removed, omitting Tunisia, Malta, and the Milan-Paris inset. In the blank spaces thus created is an advertisement for E. Bernard & C., Liege (Belgium), Manifattura D'Armi - "our guns are far superior to those of almost all other manufacturers" - along with the images and prices for 12 shotguns.
Emile Bernard was a gunsmith and manufacturer based in Liege. In 1900, he succeeded to the business of Ferdinand Drissen and renamed it E. Bernard & Co. (described on the map as "Successori di Ferd. Drissen, Casa Fondata Nel 1845"). In 1919, following the end of World War I, the business was renamed simply Emile Bernard Armurier [Gunsmith]. Since the map uses the first version of the name, it was likely produced between 1900 and 1919, here estimated at 1910. The company focused on the production of high-quality hunting weapons, often elaborately engraved, and published catalogs in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch.
This map is strikingly similar to another routine map overprinted at roughly the same time to advertise the shotguns of a French gunmaker: ID #2327, "Nouvelle Carte de la France Indiquant les Routes, les Ch'ns de Fer les Stations Thermales et Balnéaires D'Apres les Documents les Plus Recents" (1896). For other examples of overprinted or otherwise repurposed maps in the collection, Search > "repurposed".
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.