Browse Items (52 total)

Perhaps the most obvious medium for the portrayal of European domination is the inclusion or exclusion of continents on Vischer’s map. Europe appears at the northernmost point as the most complex in outline due to the cartographer’s Dutch background.…

The North and South Poles, while taking up less space on the map, prove just as integral to the arguments of the map as the East-West Hemisphere split. They are depicted via azimuthal projections in which the distance from a center point is recorded…

This layer depicts the fields on the outskirts of the territory of Berlin. They are distinct from the enclosed properties in and around the city, and are set off with horizontal lines. This field terrain is the most peripheral area depicted on the…

Perhaps the most intrinsic element of a map are the shapes which guide and inform the reader’s perspective. The art of transforming a three dimensional land mass into a two dimensional piece of paper is reliant on orienting the reader’s line of…

This layer contains the security classification level of the map, as well as the name of the location, date the map was created, and information on who prepared it. The latter three items serve as important reference points for the map reader(s), who…

Another critical function of this map was to show the reader(s) how to move personnel and supplies around the beach area and, more importantly, further inland. This layer shows the roads—perhaps existing (represented by the solid lines) and planned…

One of the key purposes of this map was to provide the reader(s) with a plan for where to place specific military personnel and supplies/equipment upon landing on the beach. This information is conveyed through symbols, numbers, and acronyms, which…

This layer shows the map reader(s) where bodies of water are located. Knowing the location and layout of water was important for at least two reasons: (1) it indicated where barriers and entryways to accessing land further inland existed, and (2) it…

This layer is a zoomed out "frame of reference" composed of the illustrations around the circles containing the geographic information of the other three layers. Following Harley, I argue that this is more than just a pretty picture but actually says…

This layer is composed of toponyms and added color. Though the map includes names of regions and even a few cities, I was unable to reliably trace anything smaller than the names of continents and oceans. I call these "sociopolitical" because they…