This exquisite pictorial map by the great MacDonald Gill shows the Colne Valley in West Yorkshire. It depicts thriving industry surrounded by verdant moors in the valley between the Colne and Holme rivers. Huddersfield, Marsden, Slaithwaite, Golcar, Meltham, and Holmfirth are among the towns and villages located. The map includes pictorial representations of the region's factories, a setting sun (a signature symbol for Gill), and 19 circular vignettes that are incorporated into the border. For centuries, the Colne Valley was home to hand loom weavers, but with the advent of water-powered textile mills during the Industrial Revolution, the region flourished into a major hub for textile manufacturing. World War II hit the region hard, and this map and the book it was published in were part of a concerted effort to revive textile exports in the aftermath of the war.

Leslie MacDonald Gill (1884-1947), more commonly known as MacDonald Gill or Max Gill, was a British artist, architect, graphic designer and cartographer. He is known for his bold, colorful, Art-Deco style in pieces such as his Wonderground map of the London Underground. This map was one of Gill's final cartographic productions.

References: PJ Mode Collection #1339.01.

Condition: A+

Clean and colorful. Issued folding.