After reading “Maps for the Masses”
by Susan Schulten, I finally realized how much influence maps, in this case
atlases, had on human views. When the cartographers made the transition from
the copperplate process to wax engraving, cartography transformed “from a craft
to an Industry”(Schulten 24). I believe that the mass production of maps was an
easy way to influence American views. Since computers and the Internet were not
yet invented, paper material was the main source of communication. Compared to
our society today, we can use Facebook, Twitter, and websites to exploit our
opinion. Atlases had played a large role in perpetuating eugenic views and
“frame the world as a racial hierarchy” because some of the noncartographic
pages were filled with information about other nationalities. But beyond the normal definition of an
atlas there was always a motive. Atlases legitimized ideologies people
were just learning or had known.
The idea of Aerial photography in
WWI was a mind opener and the “surviving aerial views offer[ed] an intriguing
perspective [about] the First World War”(Barbour 107). For years I have learned
about this historical event, but I never new how much impact the aviation
forces had during the time period. In general, aerial photography and the change
in production of maps demonstrates how much advancement America has made in
technology over the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th
century.
Definitely agree with you. A century ago, we had balloons and air planes to take photographs of earth in a high perspective. Now we have satellites out in space that takes bigger pictures of the earth. Imagine how much technology will affect cartography in the future!
ReplyDeleteI like your point on how the atlases were used more as a influential/persuasion tool than an informative tool as maps/atlases nowadays tend to be. I felt like the producers of wax engraving atlases knew that because the atlases were cheap, there were many common folks waiting to buy these atlases. Many of these people being uninformed, are very easily misguided by the wills of the producers.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with you comment about how "cartography transformed from a craft to an industry." It reminds we of currently, how we want everything to be cheaply made and do the job to an acceptable extent. As long as the consumers buy what people are selling that the products won't change... they are being allowed to be poor quality. The focus of industries was sparked back then by the wax engraving. Since wax engraving became the cheap main stream way to produce maps, and these maps sold successfully, people continued this idea of cheaply made success!
ReplyDeleteI also didn't think much of the aviation forces till today's lecture. It's crazy how brave the pilots were to fight in the air! It's astounding. It diffidently changed my view on World War One. America advanced hugely during World War One. It's impressive. And as we talked about in sections, it improved in art, technology, and the nation as a whole. Really amazing.
It's certainly interesting to consider the racism and prejudice embedded within the atlases. Today, we tend to regard maps/atlases as things of a purely factual nature (even if they have some pleasing aesthetics to them), but this week's readings and lectures made me reconsider how it may be a bit presumptuous to assume only facts are within atlases. The atlases of the time were probably not considered so overtly racist, and I think it's very possible that, hundreds of years from now, we'll look at today's maps and atlases and consider them racist for reasons we can't currently see (or ones we're beginning to, like the centralization of North America on maps, and the prominence/dominance of the Northern Hemisphere).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when it comes to how Atlases affected how people thought about race and the world. I think that a lot of things around us subtly influences they way we think, but I don't know if we can link to one big source like how atlases used to influence people.
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