Mercator Map of the World, 1931 by Ernest Dudley Chase

About the artwork Published in 1931 by Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston, this large-format pictorial map presents the world on the Mercator projection populated with illustrations of animals, sea monsters, historical ships, indigenous peoples, world landmarks, and early aviation. The map references both historical imagery, including Greek triremes and Viking longships, and contemporary achievements of the era, including Charles Lindbergh's 1927 transatlantic flight. It is one of the most visually distinctive American pictorial maps of the early 20th century. About the artist Ernest Dudley Chase was an American cartographic illustrator based in Winchester, Massachusetts. He is recognized for his elaborate pictorial world maps produced between the 1920s and 1950s, which combined geographic accuracy with dense historical and cultural illustration for a popular American audience.