"Picture Map of China",

This rare large-scale pictorial map of China was designed by artist Frank Randolph Southard (1886 - 1958) for Gilbert Q. LeSourd's Friendship Press, a missionary printing house. Southard renders the topography of the Chinese landscape in simple, elegant pen strokes. Major cities are identified and often accompanied by a small illustration. Junks sail through the rivers, and the Great Wall of China is shown snaking through the terrain. The map extends to include Korea, Formosa, and parts of Japan, Mongolia, and Southeast Asia, albeit with little detail. Surrounding the map are romanticized scenes of Chinese life and an ornate border incorporating traditional Chinese symbols. This is one of the only large-format pictorial maps of China published before World War II. Mounted on heavy linen.

References: Rumsey #11377.002.

Condition: B+

Issued folding, now flattened and mounted on heavy linen to reinforce and repair some short fold separations. Red and blue manuscript notations have been added, sectioning off regions of the map.