STATE AND TERRITORY MAPS - REISSUE
Size: 3" x 5"
Copyrighted: 1915
Lithographer: Unidentified
This is a series of 54 cards, numbered from 1 to 54 on the back of each card in the top right corner. This set is a revised and expanded version of the original State Maps series, issued in 1889. In the years that passed between the two issues, a number of territories had become states and some new territories had been added.
The front of each card is a multi-colored illustration, in a horizontal format, which includes a map of one of the, by then, 48 states, the District of Columbia, and 5 territories, along with various vignettes depicting products and scenery that the state was known for. For some of the states, these scenes are almost identical to the original 1889 version. Others have had one or two significant changes, and a small number appear to have been totally revamped.
Generally, though, the revised drawings adhere quite faithfully to the originals. All the maps themselves seem to be portrayed in approximately the original colors and in the same position on each card. There appears to be less topographical detail in the maps but with more cities depicted, and most seem to have some lines indicating roads included in the new drawings. The state name usually appears in much bolder type than the original, as well. Populations have, of course, increased, but the area given for most states seems to have been adjusted slightly as well. Most are minor changes except for Alaska, which gained nearly 60,000 square miles, and North Dakota, whose area decreased by over 6,000 square miles in those 26 years. (Perhaps hordes of Canadian tourists had been putting a few handfuls at a time in their pockets before heading back north!?)
The back of each card in this series contains an educational narrative describing each state or territory and providing various facts and figures about it in a standard format. Such things as geographical location, size (both land area and water area), state capital, terrain, principal minerals, farm crops, manufactured goods, climate, and population are all summarized. (See example.)
Unlike the original State Maps series (or, for that matter, any of the other series Arbuckles' put out in the 1889-1893 time frame), these cards were not distributed individually in packages of coffee. They were mailed out as a complete set, ostensibly to teachers who could then use them as instructional material in their classrooms. However, I've never run across any sort of promotional advertising for the set or anything indicating how teachers actually went about requesting the cards from the company. If any of my fellow collectors out there can fill me in on this, I'd certainly appreciate the info.
CLICK ON ANY THUMBNAIL TO VIEW FULL SIZE CARD
| #1 Alabama  |
#2 Arizona  |
#3 Arkansas  |
#4 California  |
#5 Colorado  |
| #6 Connecticut  |
#7 Delaware  |
#8 Dist. of Col.  |
#9 Florida  |
#10 Georgia  |
| #11 Idaho  |
#12 Illinois  |
#13 Indiana  |
#14 Iowa  |
#15 Kansas  |
| #16 Kentucky  |
#17 Louisiana  |
#18 Maine  |
#19 Maryland  |
#20 Massachusetts  |
| #21 Michigan  |
#22 Minnesota  |
#23 Mississippi  |
#24 Missouri  |
#25 Montana  |
| #26 Nebraska  |
#27 Nevada  |
#28 New Hampshire  |
#29 New Jersey  |
#30 New Mexico  |
| #31 New York  |
#32 North Carolina  |
#33 North Dakota  |
#34 Ohio  |
#35 Oklahoma  |
| #36 Oregon  |
#37 Pennsylvania  |
#38 Rhode Island  |
#39 South Carolina  |
#40 South Dakota  |
| #41 Tennessee  |
#42 Texas  |
#43 Utah  |
#44 Vermont  |
#45 Virginia  |
| #46 Washington  |
#47 West Virginia  |
#48 Wisconsin  |
#49 Wyoming  |
#50 Alaska  |
| #51 Guam  |
#52 Hawaii  |
#53 Philippine Islands  |
#54 Porto Rico  |