This is the reduced, folding retail edition of MacDonald Gill's famous London map, described by Stephen J. Hornsby as "the most influential pictorial map ever published." The "Wonderground Map" was commissioned by Frank Pick, the Commercial Manager of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, as part of a campaign to rehabilitate the image of the rail system and to encourage recreational travel outside peak commuting hours. The poster was so popular when it began appearing in the London Underground in 1914 that the first commercial edition was issued the following year. This is the second commercial state with the British Imperial Lion above "On to Wembley" (top left), published in 1924. The British Imperial Lion was the symbol used for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924, which took place in Wembley Park; this edition of the "Wonderground Map" was part of the promotional blitz for the exposition.

Gill's ingenious design highlights the various Underground stations, depicting them as lavish temple-like portals in red, white, and blue. Bold primary colors give this an immediate graphic appeal - vivid yellow roads, verdant green parks, the beautiful blue Thames, eye-catching pops of red. Architectural landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and Royal Albert Hall are elegantly rendered. The map's cartoon style, puns, and irreverent humor set the template for 20th-century pictorial maps. At the zoo, the animals run amok and a giraffe ignores a bun; a dragon appears in the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park ("not really such a worm"); a bobby nabs an earl by his trailing cape in West Brompton. The artist winks at his own address (No. 1 Hare Court, Temple) with an illustration of a figure capturing a hare captioned "One hare caught in the Temple!" These are but a few examples of the myriad quips, allusions, song snippets, and rough-housing figures that fill Gill's iconic map. The composition is held together by classical elements like the compass rose at top right and the coats of arms that are incorporated into the border. The wraparound border text reads: "The Heart of Britain's Empire Here Is Spread Out for Your Review - It Shows You Many Stations & Bus Routes Not a Few - You Have Not the Time to Admire It All Why Not? - Take a Map Home to Pin on Your Wall!" Copyright is credited to Gerard T. Meynell. This example includes the original envelope with the title "This is a Small Corner of the Famous Wonderground Map of London Town" and the price of two shillings and six pence.

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 and his towering influence over the 20th-century pictorial map.

References: Hornsby (Picturing America) pp. 10-12; Rumsey #6755.

Condition: B+

A bright example issued folding with minor wear along the folds and minute pin holes in the corners. There are tiny holes at the fold intersections, and several short fold separations and a 1 cm tear at left have been closed on verso with archival material. The envelope has moderate foxing and some short edge tears.