Ohio Map 1935 Pictorial Print - Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati

Ruth Taylor White drew this pictorial map of Ohio for Our U.S.A., A Gay Geography, a whimsical cartoon atlas published by Little, Brown, and Company in 1935 with text by Frank J. Taylor, covering all 48 states in fifty-eight full-color illustrated sheets. This sheet appears on page 79 of the atlas, printed in bright lithographed color and filled with small hand-drawn scenes rather than any conventional survey detail, a style built to entertain a Depression-era audience as much as inform it. Ohio is shown here through its three major cities, each illustrated with a distinct identity befitting its role in the state's economy. Ruth Taylor White and Frank Taylor built the atlas as a joint effort, her illustrations paired with his short, wry captions, and the finished sheets sold well enough during the Depression that Little, Brown kept the title in print for several years after its first release.

Cleveland is depicted with industrial elements, reflecting its long-standing role as a manufacturing hub on Lake Erie. Columbus, the state capital, is illustrated with political symbols appropriate to its role as the seat of government. Cincinnati appears with its own distinct local imagery, rounding out the map's coverage of the state's three largest cities. Farming and other rural scenes fill the spaces between them, tying the state's industrial centers back to its agricultural base. Together Cleveland's industry, Columbus's government imagery, and Cincinnati's local character sketch an Ohio defined by three cities each with a clearly distinct role.

Anyone with roots in Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati will recognize this map's take on Ohio immediately, and it makes a distinctive gift for anyone who prefers a whimsical, Depression-era view of Ohio to a conventional antique survey. The store's other Ohio editions include Bradford's 1838 atlas, Tanner's 1841 sheet, Morse's 1845 map, and several Cram printings, all standard survey-style cartography; this 1935 Little, Brown sheet is the only pictorial, cartoon-style map of the state the collection carries. It's printed unframed and available in a range of sizes to fit whatever wall it's headed for.