“A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did not know were previously connected” (Larsen, p. 138). The nineteenth century saw an explosion of maps of all varieties and as the Age of Cartography progressed, maps and travel became synonymous with scientific discovery, exploration, industrialization, imperialism, and literacy.

Indeed, “map consumption continued to expand as economic growth, the flourishing of national fervor, increased travel and tourism, mass education with prescribed curricula, introduction of cheaper printing techniques (lithography, stereotyping, etc.), and the wholesale creation of new urban and interurban infrastructures all led to widespread cartographic literacy, map use, and the growth of corporate mapmakers” (Kain, ed.).

During this age of exploration, the creation of maps was driven by the ever present need to expand, whether in knowledge or territory. As European powers strove to expand their boundaries, explorers set out for adventure, mapping unknown territories, mineral resources, and societies along the way. “In cartographic and literary maps, Europeans charted the world and then colonised it” (Phillips, p. 6). Meanwhile, continued expansion at home saw the creation of large-scale ordnance maps. The imperialistic drive to expand and claim boundaries required the creation of standardized battle and detailed boundary maps.

For all of its innovation, the nineteenth century was an era of contradiction. Mark Twain famously remarked, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Yet mapmaking, as the currency of travel, frequently combined an awe-inspiring introduction to previously unimagined cultures with an air of European imperialism and superiority. Still, the effect of so many explorers reporting on their adventures was to create an ever-growing population of adventure-starved, newly literate, armchair travelers (Duncan and Gregory, p. 27). Adventure-laden travel narratives soon flooded the European and American markets. These travel texts combined just the right balance of fact and stylized fiction to ignite the imaginations not only of children, but of adults longing for the escape so generously provided in their pages.

As transportation technology continued to advance, readers of the prodigiously published travel narratives began to strike out on their own. Guidebooks covering major cities, landmarks, and nations were in vogue and began to fill a publishing niche of their own. Soon to follow were railroad timetables, pamphlets depicting sightseeing tours, and later, trail and road maps.

The Maps and Travel Literature archive includes a myriad of maps representing the long nineteenth century. Selections have been culled from the vast map repositories of the British Library and the National Archives at Kew. In addition to these large map collections, maps representing the Americas, and in particular America's westward expansion, have been provided by the American Antiquarian Society. Maps depicting Canada and the polar regions have been generously provided by the University of Alberta.

Bryn Mawr's extensive collection of European Travel accounts provides a sweeping glance of the travel narrative genre. In addition to the Bryn Mawr Collection, selected travel narratives have been included from the collections of the American Antiquarian Society and the British Library.

Sources:

• Driver, Felix. Geography Militant: Cultures of Exploration and Empire. Oxford: Blackwell, 2001.
• Duncan, James and Derek Gregory, eds. Writes of Passage: Reading Travel Writing. London: Routledge, 1999.
• Kain, Roger, ed. “Volume 5: Cartography in the Nineteenth Century (Forthcoming).” The History of Cartography Project. http://www.geography.wisc.edu/histcart/series.html Larsen, Reif. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. New York: Penguin Press, 2009.
• Livingstone, David. Putting Science in Its Place: Geographies of Scientific Knowledge. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
• Phillips, Richard. Mapping Men and Empire: A Geography of Adventure. New York: Routledge, 1997.