Maps as metaphor

CARLA LOIS; JEAN-MARC BESSE

The History of Cartography

The University of Chicago Press

Lugar: Chicago; Año: 2017;

In the nineteenth century, within the context of an expanding book market, map trade, and culture of posters and other graphical forms of communication for the masses, many different metaphorical maps circulated in journals, postcards, pamphlets, public spaces, gardens, and world fairs. Due to their tradition and ubiquity, they formed a part of the visual culture of the time and became a well-recognized type of illustration among educated readers.The structure of these maps was based on a simple spatial organization of space, as it functioned for geographical maps. However, metaphorical maps mapped non-geographical topics, such as moral values about sentiments, political ideas and time, among others.With clear cartographical aesthetics, this genre of maps spacialized abstract topics and complex ideas in order to make them more easily understandable and entertaining.