John Kirk Sewall’s famous pictorial 1930 map of Beijing.
Peiping
$1,250
In stock
Description
This is Sewall’s celebrated pictorial street map of the inner city of Beijing, with labels in both English and Chinese characters. It covers three main areas: Tartar City, Imperial City (including the Forbidden City) and Chinese City, along with the Legation Quarter, the area where foreign legations were located between 1861 and 1959.
The map is decorated with small illustrations of landmark buildings and black silhouettes of workers, pedestrians, and animals. The map was published shortly after 1928, when the name ‘Peiping’ first came into use. The German Legation is represented by the black, red and gold Reichsbanner flag, which was banned in 1933. As such, this map was issued between about 1928 and 1933.
The publisher’s name is presented within the compass rose in the upper right corner; copyright by Peiyang Press on banner in lower left and below, in a yellow square, drawn by John Kirk Sewall.
Census
OCLC/WorldCat lists only three examples, at the University of Michigan, the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada), and the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Germany.
Cartographer(s):
John Kirk Sewall was an American illustrator who was active in the first half of the 19th century, creating at least two maps of Beijing, as well as illustrating the popular cookbook, Corinne Lamb’s The Chinese Festive Board (1935).
Peiyang PressPeiyang Press printed maps, books, and views aimed at Western audiences in China. The company was founded in 1924, with offices in Tianjin and Beijing, and operated until the Communist Revolution in 1949.
Condition Description
Repair visible on verso fold lines and some edges. Fill visible on recto. Some some discoloration, wear.
References
Rumsey 8220.000.
