I wanted to make my first post feature my favorite road map that I have in my collection. It is a Gulf Oil Co. map of Florida that was published through Rand McNally. I am not exactly sure of the year it was published but it had to have come out before the Cuban Embargo. So I am thinking it was put out in the 1950s. There is a nice map of Cuba and one could take a ferry from Key West to Havana.
Why do I like this map so much? The color is very vivid and little illustrations are peppered throughout the maps and then there is he Cuba element. It is really specific to it’s time.
The map itself is not in pristine shape. It is stained and has obvious water damage, it is torn in many areas, and is wrinkled. It has obviously been used.
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- Florida Map Lake Okeechobee
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- Florida May Daytona Beach
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- Florida Map Panama City
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- Florida Map Tampa
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- Florida Map Jacksonville
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- Florida Map Jacksonville Detail
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- Florida Map Pensacola
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- Florida Map Key West
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- Florida Map Pt1
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- Florida Map Palm Beach
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- Florida Map Miami
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- Gulf Florida Cuba Map
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- Florida Map Tallahassee
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- Florida Map Orlando
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- Florida Map Mileage Key
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- Florida Map St. Petersburg Tampa
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- Gulf Florida Map Back
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- Gulf Florida Map Description
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- Florida Map Kissimmee
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- Florida Map Fort Myers
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- Florida Map Miami Beach
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- Gulf Florida Map Cover
2 Responses to My Favorite Road Map
Pat Vivod
Replied on: August 3, 2011, 8:14 pm
Rebecca,
This is great. I have been fascinated by maps and aerial views since I was a kid and of course you know I’ve made my fair share of such views in my art. I find lots of other artists are too. This is the first time, however, that I’ve seen a blog devoted to it. My collection of actual maps is rather small–mostly because the price of some is very large when I’ve found them in antique stores and such. What I love about the old maps are the colors–so different from things printed today, and the added illustrations.
I’m going to put your link on my blog over at Sentimental Pentimento. I look forward to seeing lots more from you.
Pat
Administrator
Replied on: August 3, 2011, 10:59 pm
Thanks, Pat. I left a link on your Facebook wall to a great map blog. I will probably add it to my blog roll here. I agree, that old antique maps can be very expensive. I went to a print fair at UMSL and they had some amazing map however most started at $300 dollar. I go for the road maps cause they are much cheaper, the ones that were affiliated with oil companies seemed to coincide with roadside car culture. They are kind of fun.
Another thing I love about road maps is that the owners didn’t treat them a precious objects, they are marked on, routes are marked, sometimes travel itineraries are listed. They are stained, scuffed, torn and….well…used.
I agree about the color. It seems the color are richer, especially the blues. The printing is just richer and some had some interesting illustrations. Plus, they include more detail…sometimes it is the little things. I have another great Florida Map in which the compass has a dinosaur on it. It was a Sinclair map. I think my next one will be an Esso Washington DC map.
I remember the aerial views. I liked those.
Thanks,
Rebecca