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This pictorial map of the United States, designed by Louise E. Jefferson and published during World War II, provides a comprehensive visual representation of Native American life and history across the continent.
The map depicts the continental U.S. from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, featuring over 100 Native American tribes situated in their historic territories. Triangular markers indicate the forced relocations of certain groups to other regions, particularly Oklahoma, as a result of 19th-century U.S. policies including the Trail of Tears. Accompanying text boxes identify tribes and highlight major figures such as Chief Joseph, Sacagawea, Keokuk, Little Turtle, Geronimo, Powhatan, and Osceola.
The map integrates a variety of artistic elements reflecting Native American cultural heritage, including a geometric border, decorative cartouches, and symbology drawn from indigenous traditions. It portrays Native Americans not only in traditional contexts but also as active participants in American society, depicted in military service and various sectors of the wartime economy. The contrasting skin tones of figures emphasize visual differences between Native Americans and white settlers depicted on the map.
Several illustrations depict landmarks and historical sites, such as Dartmouth College (originally founded to educate Native Americans), longhouses, pueblos, and the Alamo. Additional geographic references include natural landmarks such as Yellowstone Park, Crater Lake, Mesa Verde, and Devil’s Tower, alongside cities like San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York. Historical figures including René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, Daniel Boone, and General Custer are referenced.
Louise E. Jefferson (1908–2002), the map’s creator, was an African American illustrator and photographer educated at Hunter College and Columbia University. In 1942, she became the artistic director of Friendship Press, the publisher of this map, marking a significant milestone as the first African American to hold such a position in the U.S. publishing industry. Jefferson’s broader body of work for Friendship Press reflected its commitment to social justice, including materials that emphasized racial and ethnic inclusivity and highlighted the experiences of marginalized communities. Her later works, including Decorative Arts of Africa (1974), reflect her deep engagement with visual traditions and cultural heritage.
The following Biography is excerpted from the Tulane University website:
Jefferson was born in Washington, D.C. in 1908 . . . the only child of Louise and Paul Jefferson. Her father was a calligrapher for the United States Treasury, and her mother made a living playing piano and singing aboard cruise ships on the Potomac River. . .
Louise began her training at Hunter College in New York City where she studied fine art, and then on to Columbia University where she studied graphic arts. During her time in New York City, Jefferson became involved with the Harlem Artist’s Guild, and is credited as a founding member. She was an active member of the artistic community during the Harlem Renaissance, and she became close friends with poet Langston Hughes, and shared an apartment with Pauli Murray, who would become an influential activist, lawyer, and priest.
At the start of her career, Jefferson designed posters for the YWCA in New York City, until she was discovered by the Friendship Press, the publishing branch for the National Council of Churches. By 1942, Jefferson was the Artistic Director for the Friendship Press and she had control of every aspect of the Press’s book productions. While working for Friendship Press, Jefferson also accepted freelance work from publishing companies Doubleday, Macmillan, and Viking, and also from the University presses of Columbia, Oxford, Rutgers, and Syracuse. Jefferson would retire from the Friendship press in 1960, but she remained busy designing book jackets and maps for publishing companies and Universities.
Once retired, Jefferson set her sights on the most ambitious project of her life. Over the course of several years, Jefferson made five trips to Africa to do research for what would become her book, The Decorative Arts of Africa. She travelled the continent extensively, visiting Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Jefferson used her photographs and drawings from her adventures to create The Decorative Arts of Africa, which was published in 1973. Containing over 300 illustrations, Louise describes her book “as a visual sampling of what the spirit and tempo of the African artist’s role has been in the past and what it continues to be today.”
In her later years, Jefferson settled down in the picturesque town of Litchfield Connecticut, where she maintained an art studio and could always be found with her beloved camera, ready to capture a photo at a moment’s notice. She spent the last few years of her life tending to her garden, entertaining friends, and taking snapshots around Litchfield. Louise Jefferson passed away in 2002 at the age of 93.
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