COLLECTION NAME:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Record
Author:
Minard, Charles Joseph, 1781-1870
Date:
1857
Short Title:
Covers: Carte figurative...marchandises...sur les voies d'eau et fer...1857
Publisher:
Regnier et Dourdet
Publisher Location:
Paris
Type:
Covers
Obj Height cm:
24
Obj Width cm:
17
Note:
Folds into covers with label "Tonnages 1857" Robinson, no.17. Inscribed by Minard to Charles Didion. Charles Didion (1803-1882) was a French engineer and presumably made Minard's acquaintance at the School for Bridges and Roads, where Didion later became secretary of the general council. This map is part of a 9 map subset of the 15 Minard maps that shows the flow of merchandise in France on railways and waterways in the years 1850 to 1861, Pub List No.'s 10138.000 to 10146.000
Reference:
Arthur H. Robinson (1967), 'The Thematic Maps of Charles Joseph Minard', Imago Mundi, Vol. 21, (1967), pp. 95-108
Country:
France
Subject:
Data Visualization
Subject:
Railroad
Full Title:
(Covers to ) Carte figurative et approximativedes tonnages de marchandises qui ont circulé en 1857 sur les voies d'eau et fer de l'Empire français. [Flow of merchandise in France on railways and waterways in the year 1857].
List No:
10142.001
Series No:
1
Publication Author:
Minard, Charles Joseph, 1781-1870
Pub Date:
1858
Pub Title:
Carte figurative et approximativedes tonnages de marchandises qui ont circulé en 1857 sur les voies d'eau et fer de l'Empire français. [Flow of merchandise in France on railways and waterways in the year 1857]
Pub Reference:
See the complete portfolio of Minard's maps at the Bibliotheque Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees https://patrimoine.… See the general listing of Minard's works at the same source https://patrimoine.… See also RJ Andrews' catalog of Minard's maps with links to images http://infowetrust.…
Pub Note:
"Charles Joseph Minard (1781-1870) was "a true pioneer in thematic cartography and in statistical graphics" (Friendly). He began as a civil engineer, and by 1810 was working on behalf of the French government in Antwerp and Vlissingen. Minard went on to have a long and productive career, working on projects throughout Europe, and was named Superintendent of the School of Bridges and Roads in France in 1830. Six years later, he became Inspector of the Corps of Bridges. In 1851, he took mandatory retirement, although still working in an advisory capacity, and undertook private research. This is when his cartographical career began in earnest. He created 56 statistical maps over his lifetime, the most famous of which was the 'Carte figurative des pertes successives en hommes de l'Armée Française dans la campagne de Russie 1812-1813', showing the losses suffered by Napoleon's army during his failed invasion of Russia. Minard's genius lay in his realization that maps could provide visually clear renditions of complicated statistics. He wrote that the aim of his work was not to convey statistical results, but to show the relations between them, which would otherwise have to be worked out by the reader. He would often alter geographical reality on a map in order to make a diagram clearer, and so added the term 'approximative' to the title of his works to explain his decision. He was possibly the first to use the flow-map technique (his writing indicates that he believed he had invented it) and he was certainly the first to use pie charts on a map. The importance of Minard's work was quickly recognized by the French government. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, and throughout the 1850s all Ministers of Public Works in France had their portrait painted with a Minard chart in the background. In 1861, his work was presented to Napoleon III. Minard's maps were not widely known in his lifetime outside of the intelligentsia and upper levels of government, suggesting that he published them privately (Robinson)." (Crouch). This map is part of a set of 15 Minard maps - for the complete set see Pub List No.'s 10132.000 through 10146.000
Pub List No:
10142.000
Pub Type:
Separate Map
Pub Height cm:
24
Pub Width cm:
17
Image No:
10142001.jp2
Authors:
Minard, Charles Joseph, 1781-1870
