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A Graphic(o-Political) Tour de Force
Extremely rare and remarkable wall map from 1902, produced by the San Francisco-based publisher and educational supply company Whitaker & Ray. The map is housed in an unusual spring-powered wooden case at the top with a wooden roller at the bottom.
The primary map is an exceptional example of the use of color and printing techniques to show relief, offering a sense of depth. The impressive composition consists of a central color relief map of California surrounded by eight thematic inset maps. The central map is graphically striking and highly informative. In the lower-left corner are tables detailing altitudes and recent census demographics, as well as two inset maps showing the location of historic missions and the state’s congressional districts.
The thematic maps are a series of more complex, data-driven inset maps is found on the right side of the main map. These include explanatory texts and cover a variety of datasets, including yields like agriculture and timber, climate zones, geological and mineral profiles, and the extent of petroleum wells and deposits in the state. The map even provides an early overview of California’s emergent viticulture industry. A scroll with printed information on the state’s history sits alongside the insets.
Each of the thematic maps' core concepts are incorporated into the the smaller maps. For example, regarding viticulture, the map is color coded in grey to show areas largely devoted to viticulture, with single diagonal lines showing "sparsely located vines".
The map was the first of Whitaker & Ray's "Grapho" maps, and would be following in 1907 by a Grapho-Relief Map of the Bay Counties . . .
Rarity
The map is exceptionally rare.
The present example is apparently the unknown first state of the map. OCLC locates 1 example of the 1903 state of the map (UC Berkeley) and 1 example of the 1906 state of the map (UC Berkeley).
Whitaker & Ray Company was a prominent educational supply house and publishing company in San Francisco from approximately 1895 to around 1915. The company was originally established in 1869 by Andrew Whitaker and Don Ray as an agricultural brokerage in Galt, California.
The firm underwent significant changes after Whitaker's passing in April 1894. His son, James Whitaker, took over his father's share of the company, but most of the decision-making fell to Don Ray and his son John Ray. Under their leadership, the company shifted to publishing and educational supplies.
In 1895, the firm incorporated and expanded its operations by acquiring the educational supply division of the Bancroft Company. With it came the expertise of C. C. Adams and Charles M. Wiggin, who previously managed the educational department at Bancroft. Wiggin joined Whitaker and Ray permanently and contributed significantly to its growth.
Whitaker & Ray Company’s publishing endeavors began in 1896, with output growing significantly between 1899 and 1906. However, the 1906 earthquake and fire caused substantial damage to their premises at 723 Market Street. Despite this setback, by 1909, the company had relocated to a more central location at 779-760 Mission Street. Following Don Ray's passing around 1910, the company's name evolved to Whitaker and Ray-Wiggin Company, reflecting the enormous influence that Charles Wiggin had on the company’s later success. The company remained active until at least 1915.
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