Robert Paterson Pattison and Walter Gilchrist Gray Pattison may sound suspiciously Gilbert & Sullivan but were in fact real life Victorian whisky and scandal merchants. Their Leith based dynasty fronted a murky world of fraud and embezzlement that when discovered, shocked all of Edinburgh and caused a sensation.
The Most Popular Atlas Ever Published
You’d be forgiven for thinking that this superlative description was a reference to The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, however, the uncharacteristic hubris used in this advertising actually concerns Bartholomew’s Citizen’s Atlas of the World.
The Railway Map of Sweden
Today’s entry is dedicated to all Swedish railway enthusiasts and all enthusiasts of Swedish railways. Here is the Railway Map of Sweden.
Likable Advertising: An Oxymoron?
I have a tendency to shudder at the mere thought of advertising. The idea of television programmes which tantalisingly countdown the top 100 adverts fill me with dread, on many levels. Can something so inherently awful ever be beautiful? Of course, it turns out that the answer is yes. Until now this blog has focused […]
The Empire Strikes Back
As 2009 draws to its inevitable conclusion it seems appropriate to mark the occasion by saving, in my opinion, the best ’till last. To stumble across something of interest in the Bartholomew Archive Printing Record is, in all honesty, almost inevitable. Items printed by Bartholomew can have a genuine cartographic value, they can have great […]
Blinded by the light
This item, from the Bartholomew Archive Printing Record, is a stark contrast to and visually unique from anything else that I have found. It pre-dates Piet Mondrian’s self styled Neo-Plasticism by a good 25 years and whilst you could be forgiven for thinking it was a work of art, as it happens, this is science.
The Water of Life
As the nights begin to draw in, and the temperature hints at frost, my mind turns to an image of myself warmed by a roaring fire with a nice glass of single malt in my hand. Perhaps Bartholomew shared a similar passion as the later part of the Printing Record was stored in large whisky […]
Putting disease on the map
Maps are ever so helpful when it comes to finding one’s way around the world. They are the obvious choice if you need to know how to get to Devon, for example, and they help to put the planet and its features into context. However, for some purposes, maps can have a much more profound […]
Capturing sunshine
Contrary to popular belief, the gorgeous, sweltering, sunshiny weather that we have been hearing about ad nauseam recently was not universally enjoyed. Images of beaches ripe to overflowing and the sad laments of city commuters were the stuff of dreams for those of us suffering torrential rain, blankets of cloud and “nothing to write home […]
Keeping things in proportion
Inspired by an item I’ve recently discovered in the Bartholomew Archive Printing Record the time has come for me to stop glossing over some of the more complicated intricacies of maps and to tackle the art of scale. For those in the know, this is a simple and effective system to communicate the levels of […]