Sweden & Norway Map 1893 Columbian World's Fair Atlas Print - Sweden, Norway, Stockholm, Oslo

This color map of Sweden and Norway was published by George F. Cram and Company of Chicago in 1893 for the Columbian World's Fair Atlas. The atlas was published to commemorate the 1893 World's Fair and Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and this copy was issued for Wood Brothers Cash Store of Unadilla, New York. The map measures about 24 by 31 centimeters at a scale of 1:2,700,000. It shows cities and towns, with relief shown by hachures, and the prime meridians are Greenwich and Washington, a dual system that reflects the double influence on American mapmaking of the time. It is a clean and legible map that carries the stamp of a great American occasion.

Shades of blue pick out the bodies of water, including the North Atlantic, while the land is tinted lightly to bring out the physical features and the political boundaries. The atlas is uncommon, with maps in 194 pages and a size of 35.5 by 30.5 centimeters. The scale and grandeur of the fair had a profound effect on architecture, the arts, Chicago's self-image and American industrial optimism. The atlas also contains complete illustrations of the fairgrounds and buildings, maps of every state and territory of the United States and Canada, and general maps of the world. The atlas also records the ambition of its age.

A collector of American world's fair memorabilia, a family with roots in Sweden or Norway, or a reader of Chicago history will find an unusual gift here. TheMapVault's Teesdale map of Sweden and Norway from 1834 is a London work, whereas this Cram sheet is a Chicago map made for the fair. Like every print in the collection, it ships unframed and is available in a full range of sizes, from a compact desk piece to a large-format statement print. It also makes a good pairing with other American atlas maps. It will stay a pleasure to look at for many years.