Rocky Mountain Map Society presents “Willful Wildlife: Animals in Persuasive Maps”

Persuasive maps are those intended primarily to influence opinion or make a point rather than simply present objective geographic information. The designers of such maps want to send a message to the reader and they use various images to encode this meaning in their maps so that that reader will be able to decode those images and so understand their message. Images of animals are one of the very best ways to encode a message on a map, naturally drawing attention to themselves and the intended meanings generally readily understood by viewers. This lecture will look at how animals have been used on persuasive maps from the seventeenth century to the modern era in many clever, dramatic, and humorous ways.

Chris W. Lane has been in the print and map business for over four decades, as founder and co-owner of The Philadelphia Print Shop and then The Philadelphia Print Shop West and now as a private appraiser, consultant, author and lecturer. Chris has come to be recognized as one of the country’s experts in this field, as evidenced by his 22-year stint as print and map expert on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. Chris has curated museum exhibitions and written several books, including the Ewell Newman Award winning Panorama of Pittsburgh, as well as numerous articles in books and magazines. Chris has lectured around the country and overseas on topics such as antique maps, Currier & Ives, and historical prints.