Chart Showing Where the Seals Were Taken (1892) |
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| Date: | 1892 |
| Author: | Unknown |
| Dwnld: | Full Size (6.62mb) |
| Source: | Library of Congress |
| Print Availability: | |
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| See our Prints Page for more details | |
This is an interesting map, on a couple of levels... but the reason it's included is just the title, I gotta level with you. "Chart Showing Where the Seals Were Taken" is just the funniest title for a map, ever. This coming from a guy who has seen a lot of map titles.
It's just slathered in this quasi-legalistic sort of formality that makes it clear that there was some sort of incident or big to-do. It's like a lawyer is asking an expert witness: "And sir, can you tell us where, exactly, it was that the seals were taken?" To which the bespecticled seal expert nervously responds: "Yes. Well... we've prepared this chart..." And THAT's where the lawyer cuts him off and says "Your honor, we'd like to enter into evidence exhibit D: 'A Chart Showing Where the Seals were taken'."
Anybody knows what the deal was with this chart of some Canadian dudes sealing off the coast of the Commander Islands [gmap], then by all means please tell me. This shit has been eating me up, now, for months.
In the meantime, and on a whole 'nother level: this chart is a pretty amazing visualization. Somebody get this chart to Edward Tufte. Looks like something he'd really want to see.
