North America Parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. Sheet V.
1875 (undated) 13.5 x 15.5 in (34.29 x 39.37 cm)
1 : 1770000
This is a scarce and important map issued by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, or S.D.U.K. in 1875, depicting Lake Michigan, the second largest of the five Great Lakes, and the only one that lies entirely within the United States. Centered on Lake Michigan, it covers the surrounding region including the states of Michigan and Wisconsin. It depicts counties in outline color. The map notes railways, cities, towns, rivers, lakes and a host of other topographical features.
Issued in Edward Stanford’s Maps of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge and engraved by J. and C. Walker.
The "Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge" was a Whiggish organization founded in 1828 at the instigation of idealistic British lord Henry Peter Brougham. The admirable goal of the Society was to distribute useful information via a series of publications to the English working and middle classes. It promoted self-education and the egalitarian sharing of all knowledge. While closely tied to the London University and publishing houses on the order of Baldwin and Cradock, Chapman and Hall, and Charles Knight, the Society failed to achieve its many lofty goals in finally closed its doors in 1848. Most likely the failure of the Society resulted from its publications being too expensive for its intended lower to middle class markets and yet not large and fine enough to appeal to the aristocratic market. Nonetheless, it did manage to publish several extraordinary atlases of impressive detail and sophistication. Their most prominent atlas consisted of some 200 separately issued maps initially published by Baldwin and Cradock and sold by subscription from 1829 to 1844. Afterwards, the Society combined the maps into a single world atlas published under the Chapman and Hall imprint. In its day, this atlas was unprecedented in its quality, scope, and cost effectiveness. Today Society, or S.D.U.K. as it is commonly known, maps are among the most impressive examples of mid-19th century English mass market cartographic publishing available. The S.D.U.K. is especially known for its beautiful and accurately detailed city plans.
John Walker, Alexander Walker and Charles Walker, known collectively as J & C Walker (fl. 1820-95), were engravers, draughtsmen and publishers working through the 19th century. They had several offices 47 Bernard St Russel Sq (from 1830 - 1836), 3 Burleigh St Strand (from 1837 to 1840), 9 Castle St Holborn (from 1841 to 1847) and 37 Castle St Holborn (from 1848 to 1875). The firm is best known for its work in conjunction with the maps issued by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge or, as it is more commonly known, the S.D.U.K. However, they also engraved a large corpus of work for the British Admiralty , as well as issuing several important maps of India and multiple issues of the Royal Atlas.
Maps of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, (London: Edward Stanford), 1875.
Very good. Minor foxing and edge wear.