Map of San Francisco showing Principal Streets and Places of Interest.
Cartographer:
Godwin, Harrison
Date of Creation:
1927
“One of the most ambitious of the early pictorial maps” (Hornsby).
“Godwin’s affectionate depiction of the city is a riot of cartoon characters, buildings, trains, and watercraft” (Hornsby).
Godwin’s is a very lively map, “perhaps the largest and most profusely illustrated of all pictorial maps of San Francisco” (Rumsey), is full of up to the minute information about the city and particularly of the various transport systems that might enable the visitor to get about the city, as well as arrive and leave. In the upper left-hand corner there are images of the steamships that call at ports from all over the Americas and the world, and the very recent “First Successful Aeroplane Flight San Francisco to Honolulu June 28th 1927 U.S. Army…” and “Dole Air Race San Francisco to Honolulu Aug- 16th 1927 Winner ‘Woolaroc’…”
Many prominent landmarks are shown, including the Russ building that was built in 1927 and was the tallest building in San Francisco until the 1960s. In the following year Godwin produced a similarly informative and engaging Map of Hollywood which included portraits of movie stars.