About this event

These days, we can see advertisements on nearly everything and often think of it as a relatively modern phenomena. What if we were to tell you that not only has advertising like this been around for centuries, but they’ve even disguised themselves as cleverly drawn maps! 🤔

From the Vault this week will focus on maps as functional advertisements, which can be thought of as a marketing strategy for companies or institutions to included a useful and functional item in their ads as an added benefit to draw in consumers. In this From The Vault, we’ll consider how these maps act as historical artifacts and imagine what life was like for the average consumer of the early 20th century, as the intended audience.

This drop-in showing will be hosted Friday, July 19 from 2-4 pm in the Learning Center with a staff member from the Leventhal Center available to answer questions.

No advance registration is required.

From The Vault

The Leventhal Map and Education Center cares for more than a quarter million cartographic and geographic objects, including maps, atlases, charts, globes, gazetteers, ephemera, research texts, and data sets. With such an extensive collection, it is likely that many of these objects will never be included in exhibitions for public viewing. Our latest series, From The Vault, attempts to remedy that limitation. From The Vault is a biweekly, casual collections showing of objects selected by Map Center staff. These drop-in sessions do not include a formal presentation, though Map Center staff will be available to interpret objects, chat, and answer questions.