As might be expected, a firm as influential as Bartholomew had a sphere of influence well beyond the four walls of their own premises. The correspondence alone that Bartholomew daily received runs the gamut, from Barbados to Kuwait and beyond. But by no means was this an unreciprocated affair. Generations of Bartholomew have travelled the […]
Edinburgh Waverley and the North British Railway
Try as one might, it is impossible to escape the vast quantities of railway related material in the Bartholomew Archive Printing Record. With commissions from the North British, Caledonian and London & North Western Railways, to name but a few, Bartholomew were certainly kept busy by the needs of the railways. In fact, for those […]
Chas. Baker & Co: the men and the map
Many Printing Record items are interesting maps, many items are interesting because they aren’t maps but very few are interesting because they are both. Happily though this apparent dichotomy is resolved in a very small handful of very rare examples. Chas. Baker & Co. Ltd. may neither trip off the tongue nor stir many memories […]
Symbolism of the Free Gardeners of Scotland
The intriguing, and now all but defunct, Free Gardeners of Scotland enjoyed a brief but fruitful association with Bartholomew during the 1880’s. The material that was produced for them is beautiful, complex and to me, utterly fascinating. I do of course realise that at the mention of such societies some of the images that leap to […]
A Lady’s Cruise
I’ve bidden my time, putting up what I hope have been interesting and surprising items from the Bartholomew Archive Printing Record. But, now comes the time for one of my all time favourite maps.
Edinburgh International Exhibition
In 1886, Prince Albert officially opened the International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art, a sensational spectacle, held at the Meadows, Edinburgh. One or two artefacts in the Bartholomew Archive Printing Record and an excellent account by J K Gillon, hosted by Fortunecity reveal something of the excitement of this impressive extravaganza.
John Thomas Smith and “The Mendicant Wanderers”
In 1817, John Thomas Smith (1766-1883) published a collection of portraits called “Vagabondiana or Anecdotes of Mendicant Wanderers through the Streets of London; with Portraits of the Most Remarkable”.
Beautiful botanical illustrations
Bartholomew are of course most famous for their maps. Occasionally, something in the Printing Record stands out because it’s an especially beautiful map. Occasionally something in the Printing Record stands out simply because it’s not a map. And occasionally something in the Printing Record stands out because it’s really special. To be fair, plants and […]
Ingredient, aftershave or none of the above?
The Bartholomew Archive is full of advertisements. Be it photographs from the 1920’s advertising Bartholomew maps, or posters advertising a brand of pen, the Bartholomew Archive has it all. One item that caught my eye recently was this poster for Rorrison’s Cattle Spice.