New members and visitors are always welcome to attend these
events.
Please submit your meeting notices to John W. Docktor
<phillymaps(at)gmail(dot)com>
To learn more about
non-current maps see Map
History / History of Cartography.
Exhibition announcements
can be found at Cartography
- Calendar of Exhibitions.
Click here
for archive of past events.
November 2, 2019 – New York The New York Map Society meets at 2:00 pm at Avenues HQ, 17th Floor Boardroom, 11 East 26th Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues). Bring Photo ID for entry. Ian Fowler (Curator and Geospatial Librarian for the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division at The New York Public Library) will speak on Cartographic Visions of New Netherland and New Amsterdam. Ian will take us on an exploration of the history of the shifting populations of Manhattan Island, from the Lenape, through the Dutch, and onto modern times, using maps representing the land as interpreted by these groups and also the way these groups have been represented in the cartographic record. Please RSVP to MapSocietyNY(at)gmail.com
November 2, 2019 – Richmond The Fry-Jefferson Map Society fall lecture will be held at Library of Virginia Conference Rooms, 800 E. Broad St, from 10:00–11:30 AM. Mark A. Olinger, Director, Department of Planning & Development Review, City of Richmond, will speak about Richmond City Planning: Evolution Through Maps. He will discuss the history of city planning in Richmond and how it relates to current efforts to improve the city. This talk coincides with the Library’s recent acquisition of a collection of fascinating historical planning charts and maps from the archives of City Hall. A few items from this collection will be on display during the program. Preregistration required. For more information on this program or membership to the Fry-Jefferson Map Society, contact Dawn Greggs at dawn.greggs(at)lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3813.
November 3, 2019 - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium The Brussels Map Circle invites you to a guided visit of the exhibition Missie à la carte - missionarissen en cartographie at the Mercator Museum, Zamanstraat 49. We will meet the curator at 14.30 at the reception desk of the Museum. No need to register, just show up. Entrance fee EUR 6.00, drink in the in situ café afterwards included!
November 5, 2019 - Edmonton The Edmonton Map Society will meet 7:00 P.M. in Lounge, Claridge House, 11027 87 Avenue. Our speaker will be Joseph Patrouch who will talk in general terms about the Wirth Institute's various activities relating to the histories of Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarians, and World War I, including about the recent Peel Library acquisition of a set of photograph portfolios titled "Austria-Hungary under Arms" published during the war. He will mention the Kellett Collection and last year's exhibition "Forgotten Fronts." Additional information from David L. Jones <djones(at)ualberta.ca>
November 5, 2019 - Williamsburg The Williamsburg Map Circle will meet at our usual location in the Jamestown-Yorktown room in Williamsburg Landing, and the time will be at 5pm. JC McElveen will present California or Bust! : Crossing the Sierra Nevadas. Additional information from Theodore Edwards <williamsburgmapcircle(at)gmail.com>.
November 6-8, 2019 - Brasilia The 2nd Luso-Brazilian Colloquium on Geography Theory and History is organized jointly by the Department of Geography of the University of Brasília (GEA│UnB) and the Center for Geographical Studies of the University of Lisbon (CEG-IGOT│ULisboa). The inaugural session will take place at the Portuguese Cultural Center in Brasilia, with the presence of the Portuguese Ambassador in Brazil. The remaining sessions will be held at University of Brasília.
November 7, 2019 - Charlottesville, Virginia Humboldt, Jefferson and the Opening of the American West is the title of an all-day symposium to be held at University of Virginia. Speakers will include Joel Kovarsky, Alan Taylor, Ricardo Padron, Sandra Rebok, and Kent Mathewson. In addition to the lectures there will be 4 two-person panels. Cartography is but one component of this symposium. This symposium aims to analyze Humboldt's impact on the launching of modern American science, starting with his visit to the United States, extending in time through the 19th century, and in space across the growing nation with the westward expansion. The key question is how his six-week exploration of a geographically limited part of the East Coast gave rise to his unprecedented influence.
November 7-9, 2019 – Chicago The 20th Kenneth
Nebenzahl Lectures in the History of Cartography will be held at
the Newberry Library, 60 W.
Walton St. This year’s series, titled “Redrawing the
World: 1919 and the History of Cartography,” commemorates the
Centennial of the landmark Paris Peace Conference that led to the
signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The series is being organized
this year by Peter Nekola (Philosophy, Luther College). He has
invited eight others from around the world to present lectures
pondering the geopolitical and cartographic impact of the treaty,
which relied heavily on cartography in shaping its vision of the
world and its future.
Mirela Altic, University of Zagreb, Drafting
the State of the South Slavs: New Cartography for a New Order
Lindsay
Frederick Braun, University of Oregon, Mapping a New Vision of
Britain's African Empire, 1919-1939
Daniel Foliard, University
of Paris, Nanterre, "More than one Palestine":
Nationalist Cartographies, the Middle East and the 1919 Peace
Negotiations in Paris
Jason Hansen, Furman University,
Cartographies of Victimhood: Envisioning the Nation after the
Paris Peace Treaties of 1919-1920
Tze-ki Hon, City University
of Hong Kong, From Connectivity to Geobody: the 1919 Moment and
China's Role in the World
Peter Nekola, Luther College,
Science and Reasoning in the Delegation Maps of 1919: Humans' Last
and Greatest Attempt to Naturalize Borders, Nations, and
Territories
William Rankin, Yale University, Mapping,
Science, and War
Steven Seegel, University of Northern
Colorado, Skin, Lines, Borders: Geographic Expertise and the
Mapping of Eastern Europe in 1919
Penelope Sinanoglou, Wake
Forest University, Lines of Control, Lines of Contestation:
Cartography and British Imperial Politics in the Middle East
Mandates, 1919-1948
Registration is free and open to the
public, though we require advanced registration. To register or for
more information, please contact Smith Center Program Assistant
Madeline Crispell <crispellm(at)newberry.org> at
(312)-255-3575.
November 8, 2019 – Stanford The Map sessions of the Primary Source Symposium sponsored by Stanford’s Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies to be held at the Stanford Humanities Center on November 7 and 8, 2019 will be held at the David Rumsey Map Center on the morning of November 8.
November 9, 2019 - Hartford, Connecticut The Connecticut Map Society will meet at 2 pm in the Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth Street. We will tour the exhibition War, Maps, Mystery: Dutch Mapmaker Bernard Romans and the American Revolution. Bernard Romans came to the American colonies in 1757 during the French and Indian War surveying for the British along the Atlantic seaboard. Romans became a supporter of American independence, joined the Continental Army, and eventually settled in Wethersfield, CT. Both the British and Americans used Romans’ maps during the American Revolution. In 1780, he was captured by the British and died in 1784, mysteriously, while a prisoner. Incredibly rare maps from the CHS collection, published by Romans and his contemporaries, as well as earlier maps from the 17th and 18th century, will be displayed. Open to members and non-members alike. However, we require an RSVP via our email address: ctmapsociety(at)gmail.com. Space is limited—reserve soon.
November 9, 2019 - Paris The 18th Paris Map, Globes, Scientific Instruments Fair will be held 11h00 - 18h00 in Hôtel Ambassador, 16 Bd Haussmann. Free entry. There will be a cocktail reception at 19h00 on 8 November.
November 12, 2019 - Denver The Rocky Mountain Map Society will meet in Denver Public Library, Conference Center Room B2, lower level, at 5:30 PM. Dr. Henry Lovejoy will discuss Mapping Uncertainty and Unlocking Ancestry in Trans- Atlantic Migrations of the Historic Slave Trade. Dr. Lovejoy’s interdisciplinary mapping project explores the relationship between conflict, slavery and abolition in the Atlantic world. While scholars have amassed large amounts of data related to the transatlantic slave trade, a more pressing question lingers: Where did those 12.7 million people come from within pre-colonial West Africa before boarding slave ships destined for the Americas? Africa lacks reliable historical maps compared to other heavily populated regions of the world. Dr. Lovejoy’s digital mapping project seeks to visualize and calculate the probabilities of African origins of enslaved people in diaspora. Additional information from Naomi E Heiser <Naomi.Heiser(at)Colorado.edu>.
November 13, 2019 – Manila
The Philippine Map Collectors
Society will meet at 6:00 PM in Arya Residences, BGC, Tower 2
Function Room, Terrace Level (TL). Presentations:
The Trip to
Spain by Bunny Fabella and Jaime González
The Map
That Never Was: Alexander Dalrymple's Chart of the Philipinas by
Peter Geldart
The Indigenous Intermediary in Dampier's and
Forrest's Travel Accounts on Mindanao by Professor Anna Testa de
Ocampo
Additional information from gallery(at)gop.com.ph
November 13, 2019 – Washington The U.S. Capitol Historical Society is pleased to announce an upcoming brown bag lecture 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM at Ketchum Hall, VFW Building; 200 Maryland Ave. NE. Don Hawkins (independent historical cartographer) will discuss A Really Close Look at the L’Enfant Manuscript Plan of Washington. Hawkins will discuss observations gleaned from viewing high resolution scans to study the version of L'Enfant's manuscript plan for Washington held at the Library of Congress. Talk is free and open to the public; pre-registration here is requested.
November 13, 2019 - Washington The program for GIS DAY 2019 / In the Shadows of Notre Dame: Geographic Information Science (GIS), Three-Dimensional Mapping and Cultural Heritage Preservation will take place at the Library of Congress from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM, in the Thomas Jefferson Building, Room-119. The Keynote remarks, “Cultural Heritage Preservation, GIS and Congressional Policy,” will be given by Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, Co-Chair of the Congressional French Caucus, with opening remarks by the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden. The fire that whipped through the great Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, in April of 2019, stunned people the world over. Like the archaeological sites in the Middle East that have recently disappeared because of terrorism and war, this iconic symbol of cultural heritage reminded us of both our shared humanity and our mortality. Today the combined technologies of digital mapping, laser imaging and computer vision, while not able to bring back what has been lost to the ravages of time and disaster can, at least, give us hope that some of what these architectural wonders meant to the world can be restored. This conference, which celebrates Geographic Information Sciences Day 2019, brings together speakers from across the technological spectrum to talk about how these technologies are employed in cultural heritage preservation and why their systematic application is so important to the maintenance our shared historical past. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Sponsored by the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division & Prints and Photographs. For more info contact John Hessler <jhes(at)loc.gov>.
November 14-17, 2019 - Gainesville The 2019 Society for the History of Discoveries Annual Meeting will be held on the campus of the University of Florida. The theme is The Caribbean: A Cultural Encounter. There will be an opening reception on the Thursday evening of the 14th, followed by conference on campus on November 15-16, and tour on Sunday, the 17th to the nearby town of St. Augustine. Registration is available online.
November 14, 2019 - Waco, Texas In celebration of the release of the new book, “Mapping Texas: A Cartographic Journey, 1561-1860,” The Texas Collection at Baylor University will host an author lecture and book signing from 6 to 8 p.m. in Kayser Auditorium in the Hankamer Academic Center, 1428 S. Fifth St., on the Baylor campus. “Mapping Texas” (Baylor University Press, 2019) is the impressive result of a collective effort from John Wilson, interim dean of University Libraries; Rachel DeShong, map curator of The Texas Collection; and Sierra Wilson, print production coordinator at the University of Chicago Press, who will speak about their project.
November 16, 2019 - Swarthmore The Philadelphia Map Society will meet from10:30 to noon in Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, first floor McCabe Library. We will view local manuscript maps in Quaker family collections and maps used in social movements from the Friends activism files. Free. Lunch to follow at Broad Table Tavern in the new Inn at Swarthmore. Manuscript maps never cataloged may be presented for us. Additional information from Barbara Drebing Kauffman <philamapsociety(at)gmail.com>.
November 18, 2019 – Washington The Washington Map Society meets at 7 PM in the Naval Lodge No. 4, 330 Pennsylvania Ave SE. Lars Grava, JD will present Maps of the Baltic States - Caught Between Empires. Mr. Grava works for the World Bank. He will present selected antiquarian maps of the territories that are now the Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, with a focus on his ancestral homeland of Latvia. The collection provides a fascinating insight into a turbulent geographical area which has been subject to the German Teutonic Knights, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. Mr. Grava has over 400 maps from all these eras, from a collection begun by his father and carried on by himself.
November 19, 2019 – Cambridge The Cambridge Seminars in the History of Cartography will meet in Gardner Room, Emmanuel College, St Andrew’s Street, at 5.30 pm. Hugh Torrens (University of Keele) will speak about Geologist William Smith (1769-1839) and his struggles to both earn a living, and finance his scientific and cartographic projects to 1820. All are welcome. Refreshments will be available after the seminar. For further information contact Sarah Bendall (sarah.bendall(at)emma.cam.ac.uk) at tel. 01223 330476. The seminar is kindly supported by Emmanuel College Cambridge.
November 19, 2019 - Richmond Join author and historian Susan Schulten for a talk on her latest book, A History of America in 100 Maps, from 5:30 PM–6:30 PM at Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street. Throughout its history, America has been defined through maps. Whether made for military strategy or urban reform, to encourage settlement or to investigate disease, maps invest information with meaning by translating it into visual form.
November 20, 2019 – Arezzo On the occasion of the commemoration of 500 years Leonardo da Vinci and the celebrations of Leonardo “De Divina Proportione” in the territories of Arezzo, Prof. Stefaan Missinne, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Da Vinci expert has been invited to present the scientific evidence published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2018. The title of the presentation is: Il Mappamondo di Leonardo da Vinci del 1504 [The Leonardo da Vinci Globe from 1504]. It will start at 17:30 and will take place at the Accademia Petrarca, Via del Orto 28. Free entry.
November 20, 2019 – Oxford The 27th Annual Series Oxford Seminars In Cartography runs from 4.30pm to 6.00pm in the Weston Library Lecture Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG. Join us for refreshments in the Weston Café from 3.45pm. Juliette Dumasy (Université d’Orléans) will speak about The Albi map [after 1312]: an early example of the French local map tradition. Additional information from Nick Millea (nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk), Map Librarian, Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG; Tel: 01865 287119.
November 21, 2019 – Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. The Windy City Historians will discuss The Place Native Americans Called “Chicagoua”. It’s all about “Location, Location, Location” and the word ‘Chicago’ has referred to at least three geographic locations, multiple rivers and creeks, and two portage routes, begging the question, What if our Chicago isn’t really Chicago? For more than three decades retired attorney and historian John Swenson has worked on unraveling historic confusion to reveal an entirely new interpretation of the history and French discovery of Chicago. Join us as Mr. Swenson provides a new spin on early Chicago history. We’ll hear about his deep dive into original French documents, secondary sources, and early maps to find a second “Chicagoua” portage near Frankfort as well as an ancient Indian mound in suburban Olympia Fields. This history was first captured in interviews on a Windy City Historians’ podcast; co-hosts Christopher Lynch and Patrick McBriarty will rejoin Mr. Swenson to support the telling of this potentially groundbreaking work.
November 21, 2019 – Florence On the occasion of the commemoration of 500 years Leonardo da Vinci, Prof. Stefaan Missinne, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Da Vinci expert will present the scientific evidence published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2018. The title of the presentation is: The Leonardo da Vinci Globe from 1504. This premiere for the city of Florence will introduced by Prof. Dr. Leonardo Rombai. It will start at 17:00 and will take place at the University of Florence, Room 102, Via Laura 48.
November 21, 2019 – Oxford There will be a lunchtime talk 1:00-1:45pm in conjunction with the exhibition Talking Maps. The talk will be held in Lecture Theatre, Weston Library, Broad Street. Alexander Kent & John Davies will discuss Secret Soviet maps of Britain and the World. Click here to book a free place. Additional information from Nick Millea at nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk
November 23, 2019 – Valletta The Malta Map Society will have a conference and seminar to mark the 10th anniversary of the Map Society. Titled Imago Melitae, it will be held in De Paule Hall at the Presidential Palace in San Anton Gardens and is sponsored by the President of Malta; H.E. Dr. George Vella. He is an avid collector of antique maps and a member of the Malta Map Society. There will be 7 speakers and the papers presented will be published. Additional information from David Roderick Lyon <galleon(at)onvol.net>.
November 26, 2019 - Freiburg Prof. em. Dr. Marino Maggetti talk about Wie bedeutend war die von der Weid’sche Kantonskarte von 1668 für die schweizerische und europäische Kartografie? [How important was Von der Weid's canton map of 1668 for Swiss and European cartography?] Talk is at 7:30 pm in Franciscan Monastery, Murtengasse 8.
November 28, 2019 – Oxford The 27th Annual Series Oxford Seminars In Cartography will have a field trip to visit the Bodleian Libraries where Maddy Slaven and Sallyanne Gilchrist will discuss Which way up? – mounting a map exhibition. Booking is essential. Contact Nick Millea <nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk>, Map Librarian, Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG; Tel: 01865 287119.
December 3, 2019 – Denver The Rocky Mountain Map Society will meet 5:30 PM in Gates Room, 5th Floor, Denver Public Library, 10 W. Fourteenth Ave. Pkwy. Dr. Amy Newbury will talk about Creating Connections and Geospatial Intelligence for a Better World. Maxar is a commercial company which develops, owns and operates a fleet of very high-resolution Earth imaging satellites which take images 24 hours a day, in wavelengths ranging from visible to the short-wave infrared. In this talk Dr. Newbury, Chief Instrument Engineer, will give examples of how Maxar’s imagery is used for an ever-increasing set of applications, including disaster relief, disease eradication, and the basis for the maps we all carry on our smartphones. Additional information from Naomi E Heiser <Naomi.Heiser(at)Colorado.edu>.
December 3, 2019 - London The Brunswick Prison Camp Map Printers is the little-known story of how a clandestine press was made and run by a group of industrious men in a German prisoner of war camp (Oflag-79) in order to mass produce escape maps, towards the end of the second world war. With Mark Evans’ knowledge of his father’s experiences as a prisoner in the camp and Ken Burnley’s life in printing, together they will bring this incredible story to life and shed light on the background, context and the circumstances in how these maps – all to scale and printed in three or four colours – were produced in secret, including the technicalities of their hand-made press, making of inks and printing. Lecture is from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at St Bride Foundation, Bride Lane Fleet Street. Tickets are required.
December 5, 2019 - London The Twenty-Ninth Series of “Maps and Society” lectures in the history of cartography are convened by Catherine Delano-Smith (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), Tony Campbell (formerly Map Library, British Library), Peter Barber (Visiting Fellow, History, King’s College, formerly Map Library, British Library) and Alessandro Scafi (Warburg Institute). Meetings are held at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Woburn Square, London WC1H OAB, at 5.00 pm. Admission is free and each meeting is followed by refreshments. All are most welcome. Dr Mordechay Lewy (Ambassador (retired) Bonn, Germany) will speak on The apocalyptic Abyssinian: Transferring an Islamic motif to Europe and giving Horn of Africa an eschatological meaning after the fall of Acre. Enquiries: Tony Campbell < tony(at)tonycampbell.info > or +44 (0)20 8346 5112 (Catherine Delano-Smith).
December 5, 2019 – Oxford There will be a lunchtime talk 1:00-1:45pm in conjunction with the exhibition Talking Maps. The talk will be held in Lecture Theatre, Weston Library, Broad Street. Hilary Turner will discuss ‘To beautify his hall’: Ralph Sheldon’s tapestry maps in the Bodleian Library. Click here to book a free place. Additional information from Nick Millea at nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk
December 5-6, 2019 - Rome Year 2019 marks two important anniversaries in the history of travels and explorations. It is indeed 500 years after Ferdinand Magellan’s departure for the first circumnavigation of Earth and 50 years after the first Lunar landing by Apollo 11. Taking an opportunity from the commemoration of both events, the Italian Centre for Geo-Historical Studies and the “Giuseppe Caraci” geo-cartographic Laboratory of the Humanities Department – Roma Tre University, along with the Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma, is organizing an International Conference Travels and Modernity. From the Great Geographical Explorations to Extraterrestrial Worlds. The event will focus on the importance of explorations and travels in pushing forward the evolution of thought and culture in science as well as in general perception, from politics to religion, from anthropology to history of art, from pharmacopoeia to food supply. One of the presentations is by Stefaan Missinne, The Leonardo da Vinci Globe of 1504 and the Circumnavigation of Magellan.
December 6, 2019 – Middlefield, Connecticut The Connecticut Map Society will will have our 3rd Annual Show & Tell. We will meet at 7 pm in an elegant, beautifully restored farmhouse. Members only: RSVP required via our email address <ctmapsociety(at)gmail.com>: when you respond, we’ll provide the address. For two years, you’ve loved this event, so you’ll like the 2019 version as well. Six or seven members (paid up members only) give 10 minute talks each about a favorite map or maps of any type. We’ll provide appetizers, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. If you’d like to give a presentation, let us know.
December 7, 2019 - Tervuren, Belgium The Brussels Map Circle Conference 2019 is planned in the Africa Museum from 10.00 - 17.00. The theme is Mapping Africa. There will be lectures by Prof. Em. Elri Liebenberg and Prof. Dr. Imre Demhardt. Following lunch there will be a presentation of a selection of maps from the collection of the Museum by Wulf Bodenstein. Please register to attend the conference.
December 13-14, 2019 - London For over a century, scholars have wrestled with how to imagine, explain, and convey geographical space. The conference Lines on a Map: Crafting and Contesting Borders in the Early Modern Atlantic and Beyond asks participants to analyse their own assumptions about and models of early modern historical spaces by engaging with and interrogating how actors themselves described, drew, and defined geographic spaces—whether discrete urban vistas, vast colonial projects, regional chorographies, interiors unmapped (by Europeans), or ever-changing maritime and riverine waters. The conference will be held at The Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, Malet Street. Addional information from Rachel Herrmann <HerrmannR(at)cardiff.ac.uk>.
December 19, 2019 – Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. We hope that you will join us for our annual Holiday Gala, which will feature an especially full smorgasbord of holiday treats for your dining and drinking pleasure. We will continue our tradition of pairing this party with our “Members’ Night,” which allows our members to showcase a special item in their personal collections. In the past, we’ve enjoyed hearing about maps, atlases, globes, and “cartifacts”—old, new, borrowed, and blue (yes, we have seen blueprints). You will be given five to ten minutes to talk about your item, which we can display on an easel; you may also use the projector in Ruggles to make a PowerPoint presentation or display a pdf image.
January 11, 2020 – Mount Vernon, Virginia The
Washington Map Society
will have a field trip to Mount
Vernon for a talk on Washington's Globe and viewing of maps in
their vault.
10:00 AM: Library tour with a talk on Washington's
globe and a visit inside the library vault to view cartographic
artifacts (Cost: $10 per person)
11:15 AM: Guided tour of the
Mansion (Cost: included with library tour)
12:30 PM: Buffet lunch
at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant with fellow WMS members (Cost: $24
per person)
Please note that you are not required to attend all of
the activities on the field trip, and you may simply join us for a
portion of the itinerary if you prefer. Advance registration is
required for this event, and space is limited to the first 40 people.
Due to these space limitations, each WMS member may bring one non-WMS
guest. For more details and to register, please contact Eliane Dotson
at president(at)wmsdc.org.
January 16, 2020 - Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. Chuck Olsen will discuss 17 Fascinating World Map Oddities. Take a trip around the planet to discover the cultural and historical backstories behind some of the most unusual international and interstate borders on the map! Charles “Chuck” Olsen (who holds a BA in International Relations and an MBA in International Business from the University of Wisconsin - Madison) is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with twenty-one years of service who has visited over thirty countries. He is a globe collector with a lifelong passion for cartography and cultural geography.
January 16, 2020 - London The Twenty-Ninth Series of “Maps and Society” lectures in the history of cartography are convened by Catherine Delano-Smith (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), Tony Campbell (formerly Map Library, British Library), Peter Barber (Visiting Fellow, History, King’s College, formerly Map Library, British Library) and Alessandro Scafi (Warburg Institute). Meetings are held at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Woburn Square, London WC1H OAB, at 5.00 pm. Admission is free and each meeting is followed by refreshments. All are most welcome. Jon Quixley (co-author, with RCE Quixley, of Antique Maps of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, 1966, 2018) will present How Cornwall took shape from Saxton to the Ordnance Survey, with quirks and gaffes on the way. Enquiries: Tony Campbell < tony(at)tonycampbell.info > or +44 (0)20 8346 5112 (Catherine Delano-Smith).
January 18, 2020 - Milan The 8th Milan Map Fair will be held at the Hotel Michelangelo Milan, Piazza Luigi di Savoia 6, from 11:00 to 18:00.
January 22, 2020 – Oxford The 27th Annual Series Oxford Seminars In Cartography runs from 4.30pm to 6.00pm in the Weston Library Lecture Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG. Join us for refreshments in the Weston Café from 3.45pm. Julian Munby (Oxford Archaeology) will discuss Where was the Field of Cloth of Gold? - a new look at Tudor mapping of the Calais Pale. Additional information from Nick Millea (nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk), Map Librarian, Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG; Tel: 01865 287119.
January 26, 2020 - Williamsburg The Williamsburg Map Circle will meet at time and place to be announced for the annual winner social. Additional information from Theodore Edwards <williamsburgmapcircle(at)gmail.com>.
February 6, 2020 – Oxford There will be a lunchtime talk 1:00-1:45pm in conjunction with the exhibition Talking Maps. The talk will be held in Lecture Theatre, Weston Library, Broad Street. Elizabeth Baigent will discuss ‘This land is your land; this land is my land’: how maps shape our collective allegiance to territory and help us stake claims to individual ownership of it. Click here to book a free place. Additional information from Nick Millea at nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk
February 20, 2020 - Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. We’re thrilled to have a current Newberry Fellow join us for a presentation on their research topic. Speaker and topic to be announced.
February 20, 2020 - London The Twenty-Ninth Series of “Maps and Society” lectures in the history of cartography are convened by Catherine Delano-Smith (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), Tony Campbell (formerly Map Library, British Library), Peter Barber (Visiting Fellow, History, King’s College, formerly Map Library, British Library) and Alessandro Scafi (Warburg Institute). Meetings are held at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Woburn Square, London WC1H OAB, at 5.00 pm. Admission is free and each meeting is followed by refreshments. All are most welcome. Philip Curtis (Director, The Map House, London) will discuss When Maps Go to War: Pictorial Conflict Maps, 1900-1950. Enquiries: Tony Campbell < tony(at)tonycampbell.info > or +44 (0)20 8346 5112 (Catherine Delano-Smith).
February 25, 2020 – Cambridge The Cambridge Seminars in the History of Cartography will meet in Gardner Room, Emmanuel College, St Andrew’s Street, at 5.30 pm. John Davies (Independent scholar) and Alex Kent (Canterbury Christ Church University) will speak about Secret Soviet maps of Cambridge and the world. All are welcome. Refreshments will be available after the seminar. For further information contact Sarah Bendall (sarah.bendall(at)emma.cam.ac.uk) at tel. 01223 330476. The seminar is kindly supported by Emmanuel College Cambridge.
March 14-15, 2020 - Miami The 27th Annual Miami
International Map Fair will be held at HistoryMiami,
101 West Flagler Street. There will be a private VIP Preview and Sale
on March 13. Speakers include:
Todd T. Turrell Historical and
Modern Mapmaking in the Bahamas
Dr. Ronald E. Grim Mapping
of the Nation in the 19th Century
Paul “P.J.” Mode
Deconstructing Persuasive Cartography
Contact Hilda Masip
(HMasip(at)historymiami.org), Phone 305.375.1618.
March 19, 2020 - Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. George Ritzlin will explain How to Buy a Map: Everything Else You Need to Know. George Ritzlin, a founding member of the Chicago Map Society, will return with the second half of his two-part presentation on map collecting. In his first presentation, George explained how to determine the authenticity of an antique map and explored the process of paper production, printing, coloring and atlas assembly. In part two, George will help members build on their map-collecting expertise by providing insights on focusing collecting interests, sharing details on how the map market works (and where to buy maps), and best practices for storage, organization and cataloging a collection.
March 19, 2020 - London The Twenty-Ninth Series of “Maps and Society” lectures in the history of cartography are convened by Catherine Delano-Smith (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), Tony Campbell (formerly Map Library, British Library), Peter Barber (Visiting Fellow, History, King’s College, formerly Map Library, British Library) and Alessandro Scafi (Warburg Institute). Meetings are held at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Woburn Square, London WC1H OAB, at 5.00 pm. Admission is free and each meeting is followed by refreshments. All are most welcome. Dr Ronald Grim (formerly Curator of Maps, Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, Boston Public Library, USA) will discuss Annotated Atlases: Unravelling Stories of Personal Provenance. Enquiries: Tony Campbell < tony(at)tonycampbell.info > or +44 (0)20 8346 5112 (Catherine Delano-Smith).
March 26-29, 2020 - Strasbourg, France The 15th Atlastage [Atlas Days], Mapping Europe in the Nineteenth Century, will be held in partnership with the Protestant Academy, Haus Villigst, Schwerte. It is the first time that the event has taken place outside Germany. There are opportunities to display, share and trade. The French location is an opportunity to explore the influence of French cartography on the mapping of nineteenth century Germany. Additional information from Jurgen Spanhorst: <pan(at)schwerte.de> or Francis Fischer <francis.fischer90(at)sfr.fr>.
March 26, 2020 – Washington The Washington Map Society will meet at a time and place to be announced; date to be confirmed. Cassandra Farrell, Library of Virginia, will discuss Vacationing in Virginia, 19th Century Style: Plan of Fauquier White Sulphur Springs with Proposed Building Lots.Earlier this year, the Library of Virginia acquired this manuscript plan of White Sulphur Springs. Cassandra Farrell, Senior Map Archivist at the Library of Virginia, will discuss her research in regards to White Sulphur Springs and the surveyors involved in the plat's creation.
April 3-4, 2020 - Naples The fourth edition of the Naples Map, Atlas & Travel Book Fair will be taking place at Grand Hotel Oriente, Via Armando Diaz, 44.
April 6-10, 2020 - Denver Join the American Association of Geographers at the AAG Annual Meeting for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience. The meeting is an interdisciplinary forum open to anyone with an interest in geography and related disciplines. All scholars, researchers, and students are welcome. The five-day conference will host more than 7,000 geographers from around the world and feature over 5,000 presentations, posters, workshops, and field trips by leading scholars, experts, and researchers. Sessions will be organized around many subfields, special tracks, and featured themes.
April 14–18, 2020 - Granby, Colorado The International Cartographic Association is holding its 12th Mountain Cartography Workshop at Snow Mountain Ranch. The goal is to bring together cartographers, geographers, and others in a relaxed and beautiful setting to share new developments in cartography, design, and spatial analysis related to mountain environments. The theme of the workshop is People, Maps, and Mountains. Typically, about 50 people from multiple nations attend and it is a great opportunity for students, faculty, and mapping professionals to present their research.
April 16, 2020 - Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. Jasper van Putten will present Networked Nation: Mapping German Cities in Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia. Please join us for a special joint presentation between the Chicago Map Society and The Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry. The Newberry Library owns a copy of the 1550 edition of Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia. This book is a groundbreaking description of the world that was published in Basel from 1544 to 1628 by Münster’s stepson Heinrich Petri and his sons. The 1550 printing is the first to include an important series of large woodcut city views that were contributed by local city governments and scholars throughout the German Holy Roman Empire. Prof. van Putten will present the main argument of his book, “Networked Nation: Mapping German Cities in Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia” (Brill: 2017). He argues that Münster’s network of makers and contributors of city views—from German princes and artists to Swiss woodcutters, draftsmen, and printers—expressed their local and national cultural identities in their city views. Hence, the Cosmographia, and the city books it inspired, offer insights into the development of German and Swiss identity from 1550 to Switzerland’s independence from the empire in 1648.
April 21-24, 2020 - Barcelona The 8th Iberoamerican Symposium of History of Cartography will be held at Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya. The topic will be The Map as a Cultural Connection between America and Europe. Additional information from siahc(at)icgc.cat.
April 21-23, 2020 – Istanbul The ICA Commission on the History of Cartography and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) – Department Istanbul will jointly host the 8th International Symposium on the History of Cartography: Mapping the Ottoman Realm: Travelers, Cartographers and Archaeologists. The venue will be the Library of the DAI, located in the heart of Istanbul, next to Taksim Square. The symposium is open to everyone with an interest in the cartography of the (former) Ottoman countries during, but not limited to, the 16th to 20th centuries. The symposium will focus on two main themes: “Cartography of the Ottoman Countries in Europe, Asia and Africa” and “Mapping Archaeological Sites, Landscapes and Excavations in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th and 20th Centuries.” Registration will open in the autumn of 2019. The organizers invite the submission of abstracts for long (25 min) and short (10 min) oral presentations. These need to reach the organisers by the 1st of November 2019. Questions regarding the symposium can be directed to: Imre Demhardt – ICA Commission on the History of Cartography: demhardt(at)uta.edu or Andreas Schachner – German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Department Istanbul: andreas.schachner(at)dainst.de.
April 25, 2020 - Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania The Philadelphia Map Society will meet at 11 AM in Brandywine River Museum, 1 Hoffmans Mill Rd. We will examine maps in the Votes for Women Exhibition. Dr. Amanda Burdan, Curator of the Votes for Women exhibition, will share insights on the extensive use of maps in the suffrage campaign and we will have a private tour of the entire exhibition. Lunch may follow at Millstone Cafe in the museum. If you wish to tour the studio of N.C. Wyeth or Andrew Wyeth in the afternoon, call the museum directly to reserve your spot. $16 for admission and exhibition private tour. Additional informatiopn from Barbara Drebing Kauffman <philamapsociety(at)gmail.com>.
April 25, 2020 - Richmond The 2020 Alan
M. & Nathalie P. Voorhees Lecture on the History of
Cartography will be held at the Library
of Virginia, 800 E Broad St. from 10AM to 4PM. Dr. Larry Tise and
Andrew Lawler will be our speakers. Dr. Tise's presentation, The
First American Coloring books: Theodore de Bry's Grand Voyages,
1590-1602 focuses on Theodore de Bry's engravings. His talk will
be based on his 2019 book “Theodore de Bry America: The
Complete Plates 1590-1602” that was edited by Michiel Van
Groesen and published by Taschen. Impressed by John White's images of
North American Indians and Thomas Hariot's amazingly accurate maps of
the barrier islands of the Carolina Coast, de Bry conceived the idea
of publishing a series of exploration narratives lavishly illustrated
with his own copper plate engravings beginning with Thomas Harriot's
book on the Indians and lands of Virginia. De Bry's iconic engravings
instantly became the classic images of how we still conceive native
Americans. His folio-sized books also became our first American
coloring books - inviting Europe's artists to use their imaginations
in applying colors.
Andrew Lawler will present Uncharted
Territory: How Maps Launched --And Nearly Sank--English Colonization
of the New World. In the late sixteenth century, England lagged
far behind other European powers such as Spain and Portugal in known
what was where in the New World. The scramble to fill this gap played
a central role in how, where, and why the English launched their
first attempt to settle the New World--with fateful consequences for
both the settlers and for the development of what became the United
States. Box lunches are offered for advanced purchase only.
Registration is required to attend the lectures. Additional
information from Dawn Greggs <dawn.gregs(at)lva..virginia.gov>
at 804-692-3813.
April 30, 2020 - London The Twenty-Ninth Series of “Maps and Society” lectures in the history of cartography are convened by Catherine Delano-Smith (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), Tony Campbell (formerly Map Library, British Library), Peter Barber (Visiting Fellow, History, King’s College, formerly Map Library, British Library) and Alessandro Scafi (Warburg Institute). Meetings are held at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Woburn Square, London WC1H OAB, at 5.00 pm. Admission is free and each meeting is followed by refreshments. All are most welcome. Dr Jacob Gestman Geradts (Early Modern History, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) will discuss Cornelis de Hooghe (1541–1583): Emperor’s Son and Cartographer. Enquiries: Tony Campbell < tony(at)tonycampbell.info > or +44 (0)20 8346 5112 (Catherine Delano-Smith).
May 5, 2020 – Cambridge The Cambridge Seminars in the History of Cartography will meet in Gardner Room, Emmanuel College, St Andrew’s Street, at 5.30 pm. Michael Bravo (Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge) will speak on the Polar maps and their histories: reflections on the changing fortunes of cosmography. All are welcome. Refreshments will be available after the seminar. For further information contact Sarah Bendall (sarah.bendall(at)emma.cam.ac.uk) at tel. 01223 330476. The seminar is kindly supported by Emmanuel College Cambridge.
May 6-7, 2020 - London The Geological Map of England and Wales by George Bellas Greenough (1778-1855), also known as ‘the Geological Society’s map’, was published on 1 May 1820. George Bellas Greenough Map Bicentenary Meeting will celebrate the bicentenary of this important map. Greenough was also instrumental in the founding of University College London, both as a subscriber (shareholder) in the original College alongside a number of other prominent early Geological Society members involved in its set up in 1826, and in its early governance. On 6 May meet in Department of Earth Sciences at University College London (UCL) for oral presentations and posters. An evening bicentenary celebration dinner in the Jeremy Bentham Room at UCL, with UCL Vice-Provost, Professor David Price (a geologist) in attendance. On 7 May there will be viewing and discussion of original Greenough specimens and materials at Burlington House. This will be a unique opportunity to view maps Greenough used to collate geological information, as well as his annotated drafts of the 1820 map and subsequent maps. Material will be drawn from the archives of the Geological Society as well as that held at UCL, the British Geological Survey and the National Museum of Wales. This will be the first time these materials have been gathered together in at least 150 years. Registration for the conference will open in January 2020. Additional information from Duncan Hawley <duncan.hawley.hogg(at)gmail.com>.
May 7-10, 2020 - Kalamazoo, Michigan Hosted by the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University, the International Congress on Medieval Studies is an annual gathering of around 2,750 scholars interested in medieval studies. The 55th International Congress on Medieval Studies will have 'Mappings' sessions on Charting a Global Middle Ages, Challenging the Pre-Modern/Modern Dichotomy, organised by Felicitas Schmieder <felicitas.schmieder(at)fernuni-hagen.de> and Dan Terkla <terkla(at)iwu.edu>.
May 12-14, 2020 – Leith, Scotland The International Map Collectors' Society will visit Edinburgh's port town. A three day event will include visits to Trinity House of Leith, the National Library of Scotland Map Library in Edinburgh, Wanlockhead Lead Mining Museum, Drumlanrig Castle and the Great Polish map of Scotland. Booking can be made online.
May 15, 2020 – Perth The annual Scottish Maps Forum will be held. Details to be announced.
May 15, 2020 – Tysons, Virginia The Washington Map Society annual dinner meeting will be held in Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant at Tysons II Galleria. Our speaker, Dr. Larry Tise, co-author of “Theodore de Bry—America: The Complete Plates from 1590-1602,” will share his insights on the writing of the book and the many colorful images of early maps and native American populations depicted therein.
May 21, 2020 - Chicago The Chicago Map Society meets at 5:30 pm in Ruggles Hall, The Newberry Library, 60 W Walton St. Amanda Murphyao will discuss Carto-Caricatures of the Midwest. The Midwest is a region that’s difficult to define, especially to those that reside outside of America’s heartland. What states are included? Does the idea of the Midwest change over time? What does it mean to be Midwestern? Fellow CMS member Amanda Murphyao explores possible definitions of the region in her presentation on carto-caricatures of the Midwest. Using cartographic examples from atlases, popular culture and political cartoons, Amanda will address various approaches for defining the Midwest as a distinct region; separate from the East, Central, and Southern states. Note: This meeting will be our annual Business Meeting.
May 28, 2020 – Oxford The 27th Annual Series Oxford Seminars In Cartography runs from 4.30pm to 6.00pm in the Weston Library Lecture Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG. Join us for refreshments in the Weston Café from 3.45pm. Katherine Parker (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. / Hakluyt Society) will speak about Maps in Books, maps and books: cartography and narrative in British voyage literature 1748-2008. Additional information from Nick Millea (nick.millea(at)bodleian.ox.ac.uk), Map Librarian, Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG; Tel: 01865 287119.
May 29-30, 2020 - Houston The Texas Map Society 2020 Spring Meeting Exploring Space: Discovering Texas and Beyond will be held at the Fondren Library at Rice University, Houston. For details contact James.Harkins(at)glo.texas.
June 4-5, 2020- Lisbon The international workshop On the Origin and Evolution of the Nautical Chart will take place at the Hydrographic Institute. This will be the third Lisbon meeting dedicated to the History of Nautical Cartography. The first and second were held in 2016 and 2018, and were focused on the history of the medieval portolan chart. This time, the scope has been enlarged as to also include other periods and cartographic models. Additional information from Joaquim Alves Gaspar <alvesgasparj(at)gmail.com>.
June 5, 2020 – London The International Map Collectors' Society 40th Anniversary Dinner will be held at the Army & Navy Club.
June 6-7, 2020 - London The London Map Fair will be held at Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore.
June 11-13, 2020 - São Paulo, Brazil The Trustees of the International Society for the History of the Map invite you to the ISHMap biennial symposium. Additional information from Dr. Carla Lois, at ishmap.secretary(at)gmail.com.
June 18, 2020 – Lake Forest, Illinois The Chicago Map Society will take our annual field trip to the MacLean Collection at 5:30 pm. The MacLean Collection is one of the premier map destinations in the United States, with close to 40,000 individual items, and we’re grateful for their generosity in sharing their collection. This meeting is intended to be a hands-on learning experience for CMS members, as we will solicit information from attendees to focus on a number of county atlases with our resident expert, Michael Conzen. These atlases provide a window of insight into a county’s history, demographics and development, and we look forward to our members learning more about their hometown, county of residence, and family history at the meeting. Michael Conzen is Professor of Geography at the University of Chicago and the co-author (with Diane Dillon) of “Mapping Manifest Destiny: Chicago and the American West,” published by the Newberry Library; he is co-editor (with Peter Larkham) of “Shapers of Urban Form: Explorations in Morphological Agency,” published by Routledge, and a contributor to the recently published book, “Teaching Urban Morphology.”
July 6-9, 2020 - Leeds The 7th International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds will have 'Mappings' sessions on the theme of Borders (or any aspect of medieval mappings) organised by Felicitas Schmieder <felicitas.schmieder(at)fernuni-hagen.de> and Dan Terkla <terkla(at)iwu.edu>.
September 6-9, 2020 - Sydney The International Map Collectors' Society annual symposium will be at the State Library of New South Wales in honor of the 250th anniversary of James Cook’s discovery of the east coast of Australia. It is probable that we will have a post conference trip to Canberra with a visit to the National Library of Australia, and its wonderful collection. Additional information from Maggie Patton (maggie.patton(at)sl.nsw.gov.au), Senior Curator.
September 9-12, 2020 - Basel The 20. Kartographiehistorisches Colloquium will be held at Kollegiengebäude der Universität.
September 11-12, 2020 - Winston-Salem, North Carolina The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, 924 S Main St, will be hosting a two day conference Mapping and Migration. From the earliest mapping of North America by European navigators to campaigns during the French & Indian War and the American Revolution to further exploration through westward expansion, join us as we delve into how different communities used maps as tools to establish unique visions of the American South. Margaret Pritchard is helping organize this event and she has an impressive list of speakers signed up. Registration will open in early Spring 2020.
October 3-5, 2020 - Arlington, Texas The second regional symposium of the ICA Commission on the History of Cartography, the 12th Virginia Garrett Lectures, and the Fall meeting of the Texas Map Society will be held at the University of Texas Arlington.
November 5-6, 2020 - Hamburg In the framework of our innovative interdisciplinary research project “Coloured Maps” we are organizing a workshop with a cross-cultural approach to discuss the material nature and meaning of colours on maps. In the workshop Maps and Colours we will discuss methods and discourses, dyes and analytical approaches. We will focus on European and Asian maps between 15th and 19th century. More detailed information will follow in January 2020. So, please save the date! – If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact Diana Lange (Asian maps) <diana.lange(at)hu-berlin.de>, Benjamin van der Linde (European maps; general information) <Benjamin.vanderLinde(at)hk24.de>, or Peter Zietlow (natural science) <peter.zietlow(at)uni-hamburg.de>.
November 13-15, 2020 - New Orleans Join us in the Celebration of our 60th Anniversary at Society for the History of Discoveries Annual Meeting in 2020! The 2020 SHD Annual Meeting will be hosted by the Williams Research Center, which is part of The Historic New Orleans Collection. Consisting of the museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. As usual, the SHD meeting is planned as a three-day event, consisting of conference program on Friday and Saturday and one day trip (optional) on Sunday.
July 4-9, 2021 – Bucharest The 29th International Conference on the History of Cartography (ICHC) will be held at Aula Magna of the Central University Library “Carol I”. The main conference theme will be War and Post-War Cartographies. In accordance with the fragmented history of this corner of Europe, the purpose of this theme is to investigate the intricate links between military conflicts, politics and mapping, and the significance of these links for the history of cartography. Additional information from Christina Toma at <ichc2021(at)gmail.com> or <office(at)muzeulhartilor.ro>
Autumn, 2021 – Brussels The International Map Collectors' Society annual symposium will be held in conjunction with the Royal Library.
Autumn, 2022 – Texas The International Map Collectors' Society annual symposium will be held. Details to be announced.
Autumn, 2023 – Helsinki The International Map Collectors' Society annual symposium will be held. Details to be announced.