Map analysis of J. Rapkin's Map of Egypt, 1851
This is a map by J. Rapkin published 1851 from the Library of Congress map collection. I love maps like this. It really captures the culture of place.
Here are some close-ups of notable features...
As an armchair traveller, I have always been interested in far away places� looking at maps and imagining traveling there. I really appreciate maps that I could look at and imagine these trips that provided a feeling of the place. This is a map that accomplishes this exceptionally well. Even the border captures the feeling of Egypt.
Even with all the exceptional decoration, the map doesn�t ignore its primary purpose: to show the locations of Egyptian features. Cities, water features, and to a lesser extent, topography.
The real meat of representing the culture of the area is inclusion of archeology that defines the region.
Notice how a feeling of dust is created by using the lines for the shore and the boats. This reminded me of photos I have seen of fishermen catching in the evening, usually with a deep red sunset. I think the reflections are amazing.
All these elements combine to create a great map of Egypt.