The Heights of iviountains
l:njt n" ,r"i", t\o."r., '1' iv-",it $: . i.!th. -Igg-r'li.'rr,...r[Cl\":ffi{=jNCLLt- '," .I'{,R 3 ; b,,'"'Tn,*, "i#r'rtw7:ii;J";-l;i9tl&',,rnno'n1.7, :utir on iurLntit n[tj-'Plr"wtL i I j*iitr"#W'i{Poahbnlt -X,,, ,na nnclrut Ddl@ar;., ffi d' ria ,n nnialrF' "@,.ffiy*iir"ur -i L Fm,+ri;ruffi'AY-.q-p---ar- , E;[
Chart of the Englith Channel by Lucor 17'aqhenaer. Itt tll" lt a{({rr./ oi tltt iatt l 6th centurt. landnari.r atri toc.rtalprofilts tre indicattd to heLp tite nutigator dtterntine hisposition. and the Lengths of Rivers
by John A. Wolter
The studv of the cartoqraphic record, because cartoeraphic format, concentrating in particular of the ereat varietv in format and stvle over the on the isoline in all its variations.2 Isolines. ac- centuries, inevjtablv leads to speculation regard- cordinq to Robinson, "are the setsof lines iusu- ing the oriein and diffusion of a given printing allv on a map) that show by their absolute and technique or means of cartographic expression. relative positions the locations and gradients Often this speculation is a natural outErowth of rvithin a set of numbers, which set may range research rvhich has as its central theme the search from temperatures and elevations to population for the first cartosraphic depiction of a place or densities or even the blooming dates for physical feature. Since earliest recorded history flotvers," 3 cartoqraphers have used description of relati,,'e Littlc has been rvritten, horvever, lsqnliinq the location, or thc direction and distance of a place historical development of the profiling conven- from other places.t Eratosthenes devised a crude tion-the use of profiles to depict the earth's sur- earth erid-svstem as earlv as 200 B.C., but only face or undenvater features, particularly for the in the past ferv centuries has location been ac- purpose of showing relative heights and depths. complished rvith increasing accuracy bv use of the I have explored both bathymetric and hvpso- geographical coordinates of latitude and longi- rnetric measurement as depicted in profile and tude; John Harrison's invention of the chronom- leel that the latter may very rvell have given eter in the first half of the lBth century has sub- birth to the former (as opposed to current think- sequentlv made the determination of longitude ing regarding the isoline), but this essav is bv lelativelv easv. The historical development of no means a definitive statement. It is a history these two means of describing spatial location and as such is subject to the continual process is well documented. of reinterpretation. I hope that my cornments The '"'erticai dimension, that of height or rvill, however, stimulate further research.for the depth, has aiso been studied, br,rtto a lesserex- lristorv-of 19th-centurv cartographr'. particulariv tent. Arthur H. Robinson. Irranqois de Dainville. .\merican cartographv, is relativelv trnexploreci and Norman J. IV. Tlirorver have described in and in that rvav, perhaps, is analogous to the some detail the historv and development of dif- state of cartosraphic art at the beeinning of that ierent rvavs of expressing the third dimension rn ( enturv, u'hen cartographers turned to the use ol the profile until something better came along.l A. Wolter is Assistant Chief of the Geography 'Ihe John origin of the profiling convention is ob- and Map Division. The article is based on a lecture scure. Bccause the concept of end-on vierving is presentedat the annual meeting of the Society for the rclatively simple, it is certain to have been used History of Discoveries, at Yale Universirv on Novem- ber 13, 1971. The author wishes to acknowledge the in remotest antiquity. The use of profiles in early assistanceof Barbara R. Noe in translatine the German mining opcrations and for planning and con- textual material and in the compilation of tables 1 structing canals ancl rrngation rvorks is docu- and 2. mented in records dating back to dynastic Egypt. 462-950 O-72-3 188
The tecliniclue seemsto have been revived in the thc landc dothe rise vpon euer)'side: and what sreater iate l{enaisiance ancl has passed u-itli modifica- inconuenientc rnav thert' qrD\\'c bv anv meancs, than titcrc mav b1'rnistaking c,f a placc: for it *'ere twentie ri^- "..ti."1".1'. in rg6Ll1a61'Of meaSUrement, timcs better to be throughlv persuaded that he knoweth into our own time. it n,'t. than to thinke he doth knou'e it not beinq that As eariv as the second half of the 15th centun'. nlac. For whereas he doth tlrinke tc' prcucnt r-hedan- ryere iliustrateo lutiel.i oI tire sea.or yrilot books. qcrs, be nrav wiilinql_v runnc \?()n thc dangers not lx' rouqir coastei profiles or vien-s of prominent Inorvtr oi hinr. Tircreiorr.in m;' r,;;iniorrthrv can do iandn:ar'lis as secll frorrr sean'arcl ancl oriented no i,cltcr than tLrirrrnish their t'acent piacesin thcir (,oastlii bv t olii;.rss ciircctiorr. lrrofiies u'ere itt- pilrir ancl cards with this mattcr: lor therc can be cluciccicitlrt'r' rvitli or on st:a charts. partictrlarll nothinLabettcr.' those in tlrt:sca atlases trr "\\'agqoners" rrublisircci Sirrrilar profile-s arc used in con.iunction \ritil ,,f th,' r'.rrlr I itir cerrtrrrr'. .\n intt'restincdescrip- lnodcrn clrarts anrl qood cxrlnl)lcs appear in the tion ot- tirc Lrst ancl rvortii oi coastal profilinq is seiliril clilcctiolis arrcl adrniraitv Jrilots published contrurtcriirr.1 1ir'lirrrr'nt t.ltt Sta and ()thtr ittr bv rnost of tlrc national livdroqraphic bureaus.c ll'riting, ott ^\'aiigation. hr-\\'illiam IJourne. a 'l ir,' lanciscall(' sr.rn'oun(linq fortifications con- l6tlr-ccntulv l:rrgiislrqunncr and sailor: stfu('tcrl clurinc tlre late 17th ancl eariv l Bth :ils,,is r-'rr rrr,tessrrit be furnishcvqr (entrrrirs Thl; t,, doneto is also illustratccl ir.r lrrofile in miiitan' all thl vlcant pl:rrcsof the plat or cardc.to drarvethe trcatiscs and atl:r-scsof thc period. shaDr'or f:rshi.n oI cuen hcadland or high lande J'lrc iresinninq of scicntific. or rneasured. pre- alonestt rrcrvc();rst that is needcfullto be knowne,and cision in graplric r)resentation ancl the first ex- at rlir:: I)(,\'ntc (rf tlrt'compassc the la,nde is of that tensivc use of tht: bathr-rnetric appcars fashi<,n: et houc farrt: off the lande n'seth in that ltrofile irr Luiqi Iicrdinanclo \Iarsiqli's Histoire fashi.'l: ertd sr, to lnal:e thc fashion of the landc as fh),sique dc la nter,; often as rhr lande altcretir thc forme and fashion: and published in Amsterdam in 1725. last r'i all. at wh:\t povnte of thc contpassethc lande Thc several transects shou'r-ron the profiles in hathc that shape or fashion: for beins vpon one side, Corl t du Gollt dc Lion, dratrn sea\1-ardfrom the thc landc n'scth of onc fashion. and on the othcr side coasts of l{oussillon. Langrredoc. an(i Provence, of another fornrc or fashion: Also being neare the arc lines of sotrnclinqstaken in the Gulf. In Pro- it rvill in iande bc onc fashion, and being far off in ./ilesttu coupc.r du ba.rsirtde Ia nter, individual an other fashiorr . . for there is nothins morc neede- full and rreccssarielor a Scaman. than this: to knowe P,ofileof the oceanbattorn ds ntcasured uion( diiierent tlic landc rrhen hc seeth it, and there is no way better tronstcts.Front lfarsisli's Histoirephvsiquc Cc la mcr. to make hirn rernember it, than to haue notes howe r725.
t iB9
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Block-diaqram detail ironr Philippt: Bttnclte: Clartede I'ocean'crs l,i<1uatcur.
tlcyrthsarc markcd in l>rrsscsr fatiton-rs llong the trvo profilt--s.rrrrt: o1'rvhir'Ir. l lrlan of tirc ;rrcasrrr- transLr( !s encl illrrstr.atcd in prolilc. l.l:rch lrori- rorrncling the is]anci of Iclnanrlo rlt' -\or.onha zontal line irl)pcrirs to ctlLrei lir.c irrasses.ltrrt I73 t). irrclrrck'slroth rlltir.a.l rrncl l:,rrizoritlrl llic ai)senc() of I r.ertic.al scalc on tire plltc rrurkcs rneasLrrcrnents.in brlsse: anrl toises ti picrls or- tltis estirnatcconjc.r:trrral. Drr Dairtr.iilclres nt>tecl 2.1315r'ercls) resltectivelr.. It could be r.c,nsicler-cci tlrat -\[arsiqii's L'urtt rlu Gulft tlc Lion also con_ lrn carlv forelunncr of tlrc blot.k-cli:tgranr.il rncAS- tainsonc- o[ t]rc iirst r,ndenr,,tcr rlcptlr t.r,ntoLrr.s.. rrlccl pcrspcr:tiverilaning rvhich {ives l thr-cr-- In 1757 Philiq;pe Iirrache. a I:renr,h scosra- tiirncnsionalirnplessiorr of lenriforrn. pher. incluciccltrro .i (.'artrs r.harts interesri:t lris Tlre sc-t'ondl)rolrlc. ('lltitl('(l C)ou1t,.rit i,tnt/'t rle tt tabie.; 'ta tlc la gttttqrapltie l:itt,sirtut:etr ttutureiit;.r, rrtt:rt'tttrt d',-7frirluc ci L'-,ltttcriqttci,3{l auci The first chart. entitlc.tl Carte dt-.i,)L.catr i (;rr elso ntcasurecl in bt'asses.is of :r. trlrnstct frr_rrn I'iquateur, orisinallv pubiished in 1737. contains \\'est ;\frica to Ilrazil. Br,rache'ssecond cirart, first l tli) publishcclin 17i2. is the vc'rl interestinqand inr- Cailao. Geometric mcasrlrements u-ere used for l)ortarlt Oartt t tt crtuf(.r du Cana! dc l,t iieiehts ancl locations benr.t'en tire nrountains. AI ancltr.tn This plate contains a rnttch morc \'Ieasurernent oi this cquatoriai arc and similar sophisticateclrlrofile of tire rniddle of the Enqlish arcs in tlre hich latitudes of Lapland and the mid- Clrenncl. ruitlr Dovcr as micl- or zero-lloint frotn cllc latitudes of l:rance helpccl to cletermine the of .,'ariops u'iricir
Detail lront Faden's Nouvelle Carte de la Suisse,a h1'psonetric profLle ol ll[t. Blanc and othcr mountains around Lake Geneva.
Sccticm&rgrinti$rfcrffatrgtn"r atM.b.aazJid{r&trzeaZa,7zbntvnt&laPbiryLfuEZ. u$;
i r. rr"r' ' ' A llan $e-t*o
'\lCD.k-l7taz atzac d. Ganzc . .. .et.Ztbc*,nZvdtZac?ruFm)'*{la a bAaac&r)fot$t*ttr, ou 4+n & .fiubndatv tap&,e qdt l.aryzzz .gp'batr&laVaZrdz 2L.onezng pud&tilantD/ot ik-Ta*u&b./17!ot 'adt:ovanl*zt dz tryalL lz-lZbe atponau!/t llotza,arl
Iieved to represent the introduction of this tech- eralize thcse features (particularly important since no nique. '\ftcr Faden the use of this eraphic means maps were available) he uscd the cross section or pro- of representinq comparatir.'e heights seems to file. . . . In Paris. in 1804, he had a Viennese landscape have been qra
adopt thc profile as a most useful pictorial tech- Althoueh I have. of necessitr', confined the niquc. In tl.r: earlv vearsof the centrrn'.numeri- niajor part of mv research to contparative piates cal lists ol tables oI comparatir-e heiehts and in atlases, comparative vierr's u.ere also published lcnqthshacl preciominated. but n,ith the 1817and separatelv and manv {ine examples are extant. 1B2i lrLrlriicationsof I -\:crt'Gencral Atlas of the The Anterican .lournal of Science. and Arts in It:orltl . lrr' .foirn Tiromson.l" rve begin to see a 1821. for cxample. contained this adr-crtisernent: t'harrqc. His introcluctorr' "Sunrmari' of Phvsical NIap of \lountains. (ieolralrlrr" in thc lB17 cdition ccntains a tabu- Cummines and Hilliard of Bosron, havc just published lar cicscription of the principal rivcrs' ienqths ancl an cngravinc prcscnting at onc view, thc comparatir.e a "l-ablc ol tlrc Snou' l,ine or Lou-cr Limit of heiehts of thc principal mountains in the rvorld. with (longelrlationof I)ifferent l-atitudcs. . . .'' In thc corrcctions. and uprvards of one hundred additions of 1B21 c'dition tirc snou' linc table the rernains the principal American mountains. Wc havc a copy of sanrc.brrt tlrc rilcr' lcnqth table has evolveclinto a tltis rrap arr Franz Pluth's Hcihen Charte representsone ol thc many stylcsof comparatit'e plates. .,1 '.I ': ="y''-',1 J\.t0llr'lu,6{trtf-tl= ,"1., l//t//// /) /7n////// a,y'r // trt:v,r'rt lr y't /at/rtt/r/zt I l,;lrr()l)ir.-\.st('rL\fn(':r. - \ttt0rir':r. ttiltl Sirl.rtt l,rrrrtIt'rrt ; ri'q I I 'l'-t* !'1 , ., i 1 .0 ".ii:lJi l .l ' I r:il i ! $, r :--.'ir' I i - -ril ! I' i{ l,:r; J: J r93 ! I W , l* 'rl "i];th."f; "|if" ;1,.'f J :F Pu "Comparatite Height ol the Principal JIountains and Other Elct,ationsin the llorld,'' publishedin 1823 bt' Ficldine Lucas, Jr., iz .'\ Gcnerai ..\tlas. "Hcihentableau" and "I-Icihenbildcr" to describe l>eenintroduced cltrrincthe hrst ltert of the 19th them. "I{cihcntafeln" n'as also used to describe ( entrrn'. Franz l)luth's Iliihen (,'/rarl, .:'r yrub- those vieu's u'hich covcred smaller areas. lished in Prequc in 1823. is:ur cxarnl;leof a stvle Henn S. Tanner's J-tu' Anterican ltlar, pub- (:urrcnt in Geunanv ancl Ccntral Euroy;c end .r lished in Philadciphia in itl23. h:u a srnall corn- direct clesccndent of P:rsumot's 17Bll sarv-tooth parativc insct on itis ,lIap r,f ltorth .'lnrrrita. In protilc. \1ax Llckclt t'elet'sto it.rs "{cnclallr the 1825eclition of the .4tias.a much more elab- rcserrrblinqlonq and poir-rtcdit:icles" and ctnt- orate rel)resentrtion of heiqhts end lcnghs ap- plains that such "1;ictur(rs:rrc monstcrs'' :r pearson rha .lIap oi Soutlt Atncrica.tt \Iountains rvith too much ','crtical cxa{qcration. ll.rev clo are shadcclto qir-e tirc appearance of clepth, and lack the visu:rl lppeaL of tlrc ntorc pictoriai river lensths are rlepicted in a lrishlv str'lizcd proiiies. form u'hich is not oiten Iounci in othcr etlescs of \lr.rclr rnore plcasinq to the eve :rre the com- the period. rr.rrrtir e nrnlrnftin,,..:,.. ltril'lrt 1,.....rtl.rtesirnrrr I C"npral Thcre ale sevcral \\'avs oi ,rrrr.,o, irrr.lrnoLrn- .1tlas.-" bv fielciinq LLrcas..|r'.. pLrblishedin tain heights pictoriallr'. of *hi.h s"ern to havc Baltimorc in 1823 and perhaps the first Ameri- "il 19"1 ldoJr lr l1.rr JF!€t€s\ ---- ._,- :-- r---=-,_---..-+. -, -,--,--^ . t!.nr r\--l-rl'l'lC Pictorialrepresentationsoldifrerentrit,trlengthsu'erealso ltolularinthtl9thcentur).ThisexamplcislronLucas 1823 General Atlas. can atias to contain a comparative plate derived able. this u'as reflected in increasinslv sophisti- flom thc Lizar vierv mentioned carlier. Vander- catcd pictorial representations of thc major maelen's Atlas unit,ersel de gloqraphie,26 pub- rivers of the rvollcl. Particularlv notel'orthv is the Iished in 1827 in Brussels. contains a colorful cxpedient cun'ing of the American rivers on the T'abltau comparatif dcs principales hauteurs du comparative plate from Lucas' previouslv men- gloDc. Shou'n on the plate arc a balloon svrnbol tionecl 182ll General Atlas. A map of tire prin- for Gav-Lussac's 180{ balloon ascent. the limit cipal rivers throughout thc rvorld. in l anner's oI r'e-etetiorr in rlri. crsc 6 tt77 meters). the 1836 L'nii'r'r'sa! Atlar.:1 adds textual rnaterial to lieishts reachcd br Hunrbolclt and Bonpland in the sanre pictorial represcntation. It should be the South .'\rnerican ^\ndcs. ancl the rnaxirnunr notccl that all tirc river lensths in tiresemaps are altitude rvhicir tlrc ..\ncican condor attains in selcctivc. u'ith onlv tht' nrajor rivcrs for each flieht. ('olltincnt siro$'n. Il]rrstratire cleniction of cornnrmtir-e river Atlas plates u'hich cornbine n'orlclu-ide com- lenctlrskeJrt pe, c u ith thoseof rnountain heiehts. Perisons of borir selecteclmountain heights and As neu" .::)l -l I i"- ]-'l'-:::', .: - ,-1.. . ..' *iigii-I, Bulla's T:rbleau comparatifr one ol the mort comprehensiue and detailed comparatire plates, tncompassinq cities, balloons,snow lines, r'aterlalls, and tlLeI')syrtian p1'ramid; tts:uell os riters and ttoutttains. lrave elreaclv noted Tanner's,lIap of ,Soutlt rnd lon!itude of river sorlr('esiurd thc qeneral America. rvlrich contains an carlv erarnple of this clirection of their rnajor tlcncis bv <:ottrpasscli- 'I'lre trend. \\'itlr tlrcsc nerv :rtlas l)iatcs.rr hat could br-- rccrtiorri. elso indicatecl. lrei'rhts ruirich thc called tire "illustrative." or pictoriai. uav of ex- lralloonist' ( lar'-Lussac i 21. I ;'t pieclsirr I [][)'lt pressine cornparativr: rclationsirips reaclres rts ilnd .\ t. Brioschi i 25. l'f5 picds t :Ittlrned ls linest rcr;r'est:ntet.ion.l'lrcv shorv :r markcd ad- shown. .\lso incluclcd is thc altitLrdinal iirnit of vance in thc irnaginativcuse of color and svnrbols l)erpetual stro\v rlnd tire tree linc ior lroth clcr:i- and in tire uranner o[ cicpictinq irciqhts and rluous and ( oniferous trees.and color is used to lcnqths. Ciffercntiatethe continents.It is trneof thc linest Sometirne after 1[]26 Iiuiia ploduced thc llnd most conrirrchensive fel)resL'ntationsthat I Tableau r'omparatit',:\another one of the first to lrave consirlerecl.'\ cletail oI the rvnterfalls scc- 'l-he sho'"vboth ireights and lensths. pLate also tion oi tire pl:rte illustratcs titc ttse of svnrbols includes. ior conrltarison.illustrations of u'aterfall lor \.egetrtion tvl)es. Smith's -\'t'ir' General hci!'litsrnri the hcirlhtsof the ltrsPri:rn pvnmids ,'!!lar.:'' pr.rbiishedin I-olclon in lllil6. contains -flte and seiected Iiuropean buildinqs. latitude il plate that is similar in eppearance, but not 196 ouite as detaiied as Bulla's. These two compara- man"- different atlases for r. period of some 20 tive plates and one from Joseph FI. Colton's 1852 vears or more. As latc as t866, Johnson's Nea' General Atlas 'o represent rvhat could be called Illustrated Famill, Atlas3" includes a similar the "diagonal str'le": the mountains are arranqed plate, but the str'le has ciearh' deteriorated. br hei3ht i:: :.:cerdilg orcler from left to riqht. Therc are man1,other r.arietions in str ie tvhich and the rir-er iengths are likervise arraved across n'ere introducecl about rnidcenturr.. The highly the top of tire platc. fronr right to left. This kind stvlizecl"doublc hemisphere stvlc." in rlhich the o1olate \ras still used in G. \\'. and C. \\'. Coiton's trvo hemislrheresof the globe are shou.n n-ith the |BBB Cerrcra! Atlar.:1 but appears in ferv atlases (omparativc mountain hcights arranged belou, altcr that date. and the river lensths abor.e, is exhibited in A diflcrcnt techniquc for depicting compara- Lange's Geographischcr II andatla.s ilbtr alle 'I'heil,: tive lrciclrts and lenqths is found in A J'ew Lini- dcr Erdc of 1866.:' Anothcr plate. in t'ersal Atla.,. in 18'16 bv S. A. I atntor arrcl-\lcrnll's American I]ou.rehold and 'I'liislrublishecl N{itclicll.:'' plate is an example of rvhat I C'omnrerciaL,4tla.r. pubiishcd in 1874.:: is also u'ill call tlrL' "t'enter peak stvlc." rvitli the moun- stvlized brrt to a point of dirninishinc effective- 'i'lrt, lains ciLrstt'rt'd in tlrr rniddlc lttrtltlrc rivel'sshorvtt rrcss. "singlc hcrrrisplrcrt'strlr"' telr be seen 'I-raugott cxr eitlrcl sirlc. Not nearlv as comprehensive as irr a lrlatc irr lJrornmc s Atla.r :u A. u. the "diaqonal stvle" but still as pictorially ap- Hunrboldt'.s liosntos. l85 1-51.:"'Tliese stvles pcaling. it is included rvith minor variations in havc continued to find expression in one rvav or The same chart as it appearedin thc 1823 and the I86l editionsol Adoll Stieltr's Hand-Atlas. The later edition (below\ reflectsthe knouledgegained througirexplorations in Alrica, Asia, and Antcrico. ;ir ':li r .1.us-llurqldnlr }bim 'w'.t) .\ 6a4;.. t: t 197 il1il-iLJr'.t ^d.*..::+ fr t ^il:: - S.t.r. lEr, L.r. ''-r' L.. . ,n -trl br, a.-N? Li. 'I'Jj.ry84/, tw.d. t3. %.4. anotler up to the presenttime. A chart lrom Berghaus' Physikalischer Atlas (/852) I would like to examine briefly another some- showing the distribution of uegetation in uaious moun- rvhat different rvay of expressin{vertical dimen- tain ranges. sion. \Ve have seenthe generalmanner in rvhich the illustrative technique of height and length in several of the midcentury and later thematic depiction developed.The "scientific" technique atlaseswhich depicted in detail different features of representation,as I rvill call it for lack of a of the landscape.Tanner's 1825South American more appropriate term, is lesspictorial than the map profile, although classedrvith the illustra- illustrative method and tendsto resemblegraphs, tive school, may very rvell be an antecedent of although the comparative profile idea is re- this profile. tained. This style also had its origin in Hum- Berghaus' Physikalischer Atlas of 1845 and boldt'searly work. beginningrvith the Geographie 1852,3eand A. K. Johnston's Physical Atlas of der Pflanzen. Natural Phenomena, published in Edinburgh in One of the earliest scientific profiles is found 1848 and in Philadelphia in 1850, both exhibit in Adolf Stieler'sHand-Atlas of 1823.3? The the same sophisticated scientific pictorial tech- Hijhen ilber der Meeresfliiclrcin transparenten nique which hasso many variations; for example, profi.lenappears in increasinqlvupdated form in each atlas contains a plate representingthe dis- in ver- almostevery edition of this magnificentatlas from tribution of rvorid vegetation trpes both tical and spatial dimensions.Almost every plate 1823to 1861; for example.there is an increase atlasescarries some form in the number of recordedrnountain heights in in the early thematic Max von Svdon"str'Ieth- Asia and Africa durins this period. Bromme's of vertical expression.{o Hand-Atlasof 1853contains manv color- Atlas :u A. t'. I{unboldt's Kosntor.rnentioned odischer ful rvhich illustrate the relief of various above,also contains a similar plate. Both atlases, diagrams smaller regiorx. There are several other varia- hor.r'ever.are selectivein the nerv additions thev tions of this profrle type rvhich could be de- showfrom vear to vear. scribed; however, either iliustrative or scientific Heinrich Berqhaus'Atlas t'on,{sia, 1828-56,38 comparisonsr\''ere made in virtually all atlases containsan interestingearlv profile on the Karte published during this period, and some atlases uon Assam,published in 1834.Like illustrative used variations of both. profiles in coloration and stvle of presentation, The comparative plates depictine mountain shaded to present a conical or rounded appear- heights and river lenqths, from the 19th-century ance rvith snorv line shorvn. it is also similar to "heyday" of the technique. could be considered many of the scientific genre. This style is found the visual expression of a methodological era in 198 s*4; ,''7*a:: '. t+\. f: j. tl$. l&r,'.r (drr{rbnn lI Sat hjii.r r \.nl f, [rnD'S r H4rl.nn .',I rryg #l $1 flmlavrkl at\-i.Lrl lSTl ll(iiliil' dil !.n kitft,;:*.*$$,; Xll.[.rrr|.r Lnh'rl -"$$:?,; L\U.flrdenl{uil,a lidhnd - s\id I o III\ n.h.u.rnir d.r'fFx.bn.. rr.!tr\. \\r'\{* \0.11 i;,.i,^'..ir,rt+"r \.-.. g fl .- l\' :..-.t=. Max aonSydow used both pictorial and scientificpro' in large-scaletopographic mapping for most areas filesin thisplate lrom lris MethodischerHand-Atlas, of the world. publishedin 1853. Environmental perception also seemscertain to have played an important part in the creation the developmentof geographicthought. Svstem- and development of these very elaborate and atic description, comparison, and classification in exaggerated styles of graphic presentation. Ob- geography had their origins during tl're lifetimes jects seemed larger, distances e3eater, heights of Humboldt and his contemporary Carl Ritter. higher, and lengthslonger in the early part of the Both men made major contributions to the devel- century. Geographical and physical dimensions opment of geography and it is from this period became more manageabie-and less exagger- that u'e date modern scientific geog"raphy. ated-as the century drew to a close. Dis- ferv At the beginningof the century there rvere coveries of mountain heights and river sources most accurate maps of any scale available for and lengths proliferated and the blank places areas. There was no better way of comparing on maps were gradually filled in. relations or connections between sets of phe- As a measureof geographicalexploration and nomena in the same area and from one place discovery, both the profile and river comparisons to another than the comparative profile. The are certainly of some value, even though most decline in its use is directlv due to the increase representations are highly selective regarding 199 l97l iB99 IB5I \ fountai ns \Vorld [Jn- lB7+ IB52 Humboldt lB50 tB36 iB30 tBlT (Bromme) ,\lmanac* rivaied Colton Colton Johnston Tanner Srnith Thomson Atlast in pieds EUROPE \It. Blanc 15,7Bl 1s,760 15.750 15,730 l+.766 15, 15,7Bt 15.735 15,665 NIt. Etna n, t22 10,876 10,874 I t. 400 :l' 10,963 10.963 10.955 \{t. \"esuvius 3,8+2 3,B00 3,932 3,932 3. 636 3,800 3.978 3,935 \It. Snowdon 3,560 3,554 3,57t 3,571 3.500 3,571 3,568 3.571 3,5t7 \{t. Elbrus lB,481 lB,s26 1B,493 16,698 t7,796 16,4l I Pico 7,6t5 B,0s7 7.+28 8,000 7.223 ASIA Dhaulagiri 26,Bt0 26,820 28.O73 26,862 26.345 28,000 26.262 26,462 27,677 Lebanon 10,13l r l, 050 I l, 050 r0,000 rr,030 9,500 9,520 \It. Ararat 17,0l I t7,200 t7, tt2 17,265 16,200 9,500 9,500 AFRICA High Atlas I 3, 665 12.500 12,500 12.500 Tenerife t2, t92 t2,236 \2,236 I l, 454 t2, t7t 12,358 t2, t76 AMERIC,\S Chimborazo 20,s6l 2t,+24 9l LrL tl a4n 20.100 2t,44t 21,464 Long's Peak t4,256 t3,575 15,000 Mt. Washington, N.H 6,288 6,2BB 6.428 6,+28 A tu'l 6,620 6, 634 Popocatipetl t7,BB7 17,800 l 7, 884 16,696 t7,720 t7,7t0 t7,674 Sorata 21,286 25,400 25,250 *\l/orld '4lmanacand Book of Facts, published by the Newspaper Enterprise -'\ssociation, Inc., New York. lThe Unrrcaled,4tlar, published by the PhiladelphiaPublic Ledger. Table l. Comparatiue mounta.;n heights, as recorded in uarious atlaseslrom 1Bl7 to 1971. Measuremeflt;s in leet, except where noted, what thev include. These ltlates did record arnong continents and mountain sl'stems, is sel- advances in scientific and technical knowledse. dom seen todav. River lengths have. for the most and heights and lengths changed from time to I)art, been consisned once again to tabular form. time as ne\v and bctter measurinq instruments A few school atlases-usually the iast holdout of rvere made available. A comparison the of rneas- anv cartographic format-still contain a few com- ures recordcd from lBl 7 through lB99 rvith those parative examples. Perhaps, as Carl Troll, an of 1971 (see tables I and 2) reveals ser,,eraldif- erninent European geographer, has said: ferences, parricularly or-rtsidethe European con- tinent. Delavs in shorving new information mav Onc could say that modern relief presentationon be due in part to the atlas publisher, u'ho nas physical maps gives sufficient indication of elevations. probablv reiuctant to make small chanqes on his But the distributionof certainfeatures, e.g. vegetation, plates. Some ciirect copving, such as bet\l,een settlements,the snow Iine. ctc., cannot be determ.ined Smith (1830) and Colton (1852). car also be from thesemaps, not evenonas with largerscales. seen.Chanqins printinq techniques, the gradual It is rvorth noting that thosegraphic meansof por- transition from enqravine to lithography, and the trayal of a third dimensioncreated under Humboldt introduction of ccroqraphy (u,ax cngraving) greatlyexcel over our modern products.. . . It would greatly if the lost tradition is taken up were also reflected on the plates as the centurv be appreciated lvore on. again in the preparation of a national atlas.' The technique of profiling, as an illustrative If Troll's recommendations are followed rve method for comparisons of heiehts betrveen and nlav see the reintroduction of this excellent t 'lsr 200 l97l lB99 lB74 lB52 lB50 1844 1836 1830 1826 lBlT Rivers World Unrivaled Colton Colton Johnston Maps, Tanner Smith Lucas Thomson Almanac Atlas S.D.U.K.+ EUROPE Danube i,77c i,725 l,630 l, 833 l, 496 l,630 2, 100 I,833 t,600 l, 300 Dnieper t,420 l,200 l,390 i,080 l,050 I,300 l, 390 I, 140 l,000 Don t,224 l, 300 1,000 980 960 860 I, 100 980 800 800 Loire 62s 600 570 520 620 600 520 Po 4lB 340 430 352 380 470 430 Rhine 820 600 960 820 600 830 840 840 700 600 Rhone 504 580 490 442 s60 540 480 510 Thames 209 220 2t5 2rs 2+0 220 2ts 2ls 200 Volga 2,293 2,400 2,200 2,190 2,400 l, 900 2, 190 I,600 2,600 ASIA Brahmaputra l, 800 1,400 l, 500 2,200 l, 500 2,200 Euphrates t,675 l,750 t,780 l,840 t',+gi l, 360 l,840 l, 530 l,200 Ganges l, 550 1.600 l, 960 l,850 l,680 l,350 1,800 I, 850 l, 500 l,400 Hwang-ho 2,903 2,700 3,040 3,040 2,28O 2,400 2,700 3,040 2,000 2,000 Indus l,980 2,000 1,700 l,700 l, 960 l, 700 l, 700 l, 700 1,000 Lena 2,6s3 2.400 2,400 2,500 2,800 2,374 2,000 l,570 ob 3,461 3,000 2, 890 2, 890 2,320 2,800 3,000 2,890 2,+0t 2,300 AFRICA Congo 2,900 2,900 l,700 l,400 ?? Niger 2,590 3,000 2. 500 2,000 2,300 2,350 2,670 ? ? Nile 4, r32 4, 100 3,200 3,200 2,240 2,7s0 2,600 3,000 2,0oo 2,000 AMERICAS Amazon 3, 900 4,000 3, 900 3,79s 3,200 3,700 3, 350 4,000 3, 100 Colorado 840 690 800 700 N{ackcnzie 2,635 2,300 2,500 2, 350 2, t20 1,600 2,450 Mississippi/Misouri 3,860 4,650 3, 160 4,490 3,560 3,500 4, 100 i, ioo i.++g i, ooo Ohio 981 950 l, 050 1,050 Orinoco l,800 l, 570 l, 600 1,600 l,352 i, tso l, 750 l,60c l, 380 t';;; Rio de la Plata 2,300 2,500 , ,qi l,920 2,130 2,200 2, 000 1.900 Rio Grande l, 885 1,800 l, 800 l, 800 St. Lawrence l,900 2,200 2,200 2, 050 t, 800 t,930 2,300 l, lB0 I,853 700 *Maps oJ thc SocictyJor thc Difusion oJ UscJul Knowlcdge (London)' Table 2. Comparatiue riucr lengths, as recorded in uarious atlases lrom 1BI7 to 1971. Measurement it in milcs. and easily understood scientific means of com- can larnent their pasing, for they are ceftainly paring heights and lengths. We rvill, however, fascinating to peruse and a pleasure to view- probably never again see the elaborate, ex- perhapsthe next best thing to viewing the moun- uberant, and colorful illustrative platesthat were tains and rivers themselves. so popular a hundred or more years ago. We 201 NOTES t 'De For an excellent summary of the accomplishments Dainville. p. 392. According to Cornelius Koe- of the classical Greek geographers see F. Lukermann s man, a leading Dutch historian of cartography, Peter "The Concept of Location in Classical Geography,,' Bruinss compiled a manuscript map of the Het Spaarne Annals of the Association ol American Geographers, River in 1584 which showed a contour line in midchan- 51:194-210 (June 1961). He points out rhat location nel. In 1696, Piere Ancelin produced a chart of the was the central concern of the Greek geographers, as Meuse River in rvhich depths are shown by a system of it is of modern geographers, and that the Greeks de- equidistant curves. veloped the science of geographical dcscription. See also Margaret Deacon's Scientists and the Sea, 'Arthur H. Robinson, "The Genealogy of the Iso- 1650-1900: A Study of Marine Science (London, New pleth," Cartogtaphic Journal, B:49-53 (June 1971). York, 1971). For a short biographical sketch of Mar- See especially the diagram on p. 50 depicting "the sigli, see F. C. W. Olson and lr{ary Ann Olson's "Luigi family tree of the isopleth." Ferdinando Manigli, the Lost Father of Oceanogra- Frangois de Dainville, "De la Profondeur i I'AIti- phy," Quarterly Journal ol the Florida Academy ol tude," International Y earbook ol Cartography, 2 : 150- Science, 21 : 227-231 ( 1958). 160 (1962). Translatcd by A. H. Robinson as "From " Philippe Buache, Cartes et tables de la giographie the Depths to the Heights," Surueying and Mapping, physique ou naturellc (Paris, 1757). This interesting 30:389-403 (September 1970). atlas of 14 plates illustrates Buache's theory that the Norman J. W. Thrower, "Edmond Halley as a The- earth was divided into several "natural" regions or matic Geo-cartographer," :lnnals of the Association ot' basins by mountain ranges, both on land and under Americ an G eo gr aph e r s, 59 : 652-676 ( December I 969 ) . the sea. to " Robinson, p. 49. Cartes et coupes du Canal de Ia Manche et d'une 'The late John Kirtland Wright's Human Nature in pattie de la' Mer d'Allemagne qu; prisentent par une Geography: Fourteen Papers, I 925-1 965 (Cambrioge, nouuelle mlthod la peute du londs de ces deux mers, Mass., 1966) contains three essaysof particular in- The plate contains two insets, a. Profil ou coupe des terest. "On Medievalism and Watersheds in the His- differens londs du Canal and a small enlarged scale tory of .American Geography" has a Lizar comparative chart (Sec. de Carte (B) ) which shows the transect plate for illustration in figure 5 (the dust jacket uses extending northward to the latitude of Yarmouth, 'An the same plate). "The Heights of Mountains: His- England. torical Notice' " is a short history of mountain measur- " Charies M. de La Condamine, lournal du aoyagc ing, and "Notcs on Measuring and Counting in Early lait par ordre du roi, a I'iquateur, rerDant d'introduc- American Geography" contains a plea for a history of tion historique a la mesure des trois premiers degrls du the dcvelopment of what he calls vertical miridien (Paris, 1751). To accompany the Histoire de geomensuration. I'Academie Royale desSciences 6 for 1751. A Regiment the Sea and t" t'or Other l\ritinss ort Noutelle Carte de la Suisse,dans laquelle sont erc- Nauigation, by William Bourne of Gravesend, a gun- actement dktinguis Ies treize cantons, leurs allies ct ner (c1535-1582), edited (Cam- by E. G. R. Taylor Ieurs sujets, dressie sur les mimoires les plus cortects bridge, England, 1963), p. 250-251 (Hakluyt Society assujettie aux obseruations astTonomiques (Lond,te, Second SeriesNo. CXXI). chez W. Faden, 1778) 0 . ln A Catalogue ol Maps, For illustrations comparing l6th- and 20th-century Charts, and Plans Printed for llilliam Faden, Suc- coastal profilcs as depicted in pilots of the periods, see cessor to the late T. Jeflerys, Geographer to the King The Hauen-Finding Art, bv Eva G. R. Taylor (New (negative photostat copy in G&M Division pa"mphlet York, 1957), p. 169. file), the map is listed as one sheet,Grand Eagle, 1778. Luigi Ferdinando " Marsigli, Histoire physique de Ia I have not located an English-language version, but a rner (.'\msterdam, 1725). The first section of this book. German edition was published in l7B9 and iniluded which deals with the profile, was published in Venice in Allegemeiner Crosser SchriimbLisher .{i/as (Wien, in 1711, thus predating La Condamine bv some 20 r800). years or more. " It J. J. Dupain-Triel's Recherches giographiques 202 Chronologyof the Profileto 1900 BATHYMETRIC HYPSOMETRIC I I I Ancient & Classical Ancrent & Classrcal E ng rrreer i n91( M i n i nq. rrriqation ) Portolans -v Meclreval Medreval | i= Renatssance Henarssance Rutters of the sea Bruinss 1 5g4 En(ltneennq (Mrnin1l, fortif tcation) , -Y -v '<' 1 Ancelrn1697 rl I rlI Marsrqlr1725 La Condanrine 1725 CruqLrrs1729 tsuache1 734 I I Buache1752 Mitet.ie Mureau1749 Raspe1 776 Jeffrcys1 781 Faden1778 Du Carla1782 DupainTriel 179i Humboldt 1804 nlountains-l B rogeography Rrvers I ILLUSTRATIVE- sctENTlFtC* Piant geographv Lakes f Zoogeography oceans Thomson1817 ] Humboldr 1817 Tanner1818 Berghaus/Stieler1822 Lucas1 826 Stucchi1826 Berghaus1 838 Vandermaelen1827 Johnston1843 Tschudi1844146 Smith 1830 'l Petermann1 846 L rzar 831 Berghaus1849 Arrowsmith 1833 'l844 Petermann1850 Black Stieler1858 Colton 1852 Phillippi1860 stieler1871/75 Colton 1870 Griesebach1872 Streler1871/75 Berghaus1886 Drude l890 Bartholemew1895 *Shading implies increasinglyheavy use in "illustrative"column to mid-centurywith declinethereafter, generalincrease to end of century in "scientific" column. 203 ComparativeAtlas Plates:Evolution of Style* ----- Scientifac - lllUstrattve MOUNTAINS RIVERS 1770 1800 MOUNTAINS& RIVERS"* Early Diagonal ,@, Center Peak Single Hemisphere Double Hemisphere 1850 ,a/T\-^Alv\ Late D iagonal 1900 I I 20th Century I I v *Based on examinationof approximately250 attases.Conclusionsare tentativc **Lakes and seaswere alsoincluded on some plates. 204 plaines a sur le. hauteurs des d.u royaume (Paris, 1791). Fielding Lucas, Jr., A General Atlas Containing The profile very effectively complements the map, the Distinct Maps of All the Known Countries in the first contour map of an entire country. World (Bahvnore [1823]). See piate entitled Com- "The plate is in Alexander von Humboldt's ldeen paratioe Height of Principal Mountains and Other :u einer Ceographiedtr Pflanzcnneb:i :i;,.,,. .','-J-,d.- Eleaations in the lf orkl. The copy examined containeci mdlde der Tropenliintler (Tiibingen, 1807). two similar plates, one uncolored and numbered to rE Robert E. Dickinson, The Makers of Modern Ge- correspond to name and height tables and the other opraphy (New York, Washington, 1969), p. 27-28,. colored and unnumbered. toHumboldt, * Atlas giographique et phl;ique duroy- Philippe N{arie Guillaume van der lr{aelen, ,{llas uniuersel de phl,sique, aume de Ia N ouuelle-Espagne (Paris, l8 I I ) . Four 96ographie, politique, statistique plates are of particular interest: 12. Tableau physique; et mindralogique, sur I'ichelle de I :1,64il.836 ou d,une 13. Tableau occidentale;14. Tableau central: and ligne par 1900 toises, dressi par ph. Vandermaelen, 15. Profil du canal de Huehuetoca. d'apres Ies meilleures cartes, obsert,ationsastronomi- 17 ques et lr{ax Eckert, Die Kartenuissenschalt; Forschungen uoyages dans les diuers pa1,s de la terre (Bruxelles, und Grundlagen zu einer Kartographie als Wissenschalt 1827). This six-volume compilation is the first atlas to (Berlin, l92l), vol. 1, p. 450-451. In this landmark use thc recently discor.ered Drocess of iithography cartographic text, Eckert cautions the reader against and is a landmark work in the history of cartographic being misled by vertical exaggeration on the plates, expression. - sometimesas much as 200:1. Tanner, A New Uniuersal Atlas. Containing tllaps ttOskar ol the Various Empires, Peschel, Geschichte der Erdkunde: bis aul Kingdoms, States and Republics ol the (Philadelphia, Alexander uon Humboldt und Carl Rittcr (Munich, World 1836). Bulla, Tableau comparatit' principales 1877), p.697, 699. It should also be noted that the " des mon- tagnes, des principaux et 6rst profile which Humboldt designed was of Colom- fleuves cataractesde Ia terre (lB--). In color and published somerime perrot,s bia's Magdalena River Valley. This was engraved and after published 1826 Atlas, and probably before 1837. according to his drawing, but without his -Charles Smith, Srniti's permission,in l\{adrid in 1801. Neu General Atlas, Con- 1o taining Distinct Maps ol All the Principal Empires, John Thomson, A New General Atlas, Consisting ol Kingdoms, S States Throughout the World, Arrangcd a Series ol Ceographical Designs, on Various Projee- According to the Ceneral Trcaty Signed in Congress tions, Exhibiting the Form and Component Parts ol the at Vienna, With Considerable Additions (Londorr, GIobe; and a Collection of Maps and Charts, Delincat- 1836). Copies of editions published in 1826, 1830, ing the Natural and Political Diuisions ol the Empircs, and 1836 are in thc G&II Division atlas coilecrion. Kingdoms, and States in the l4/orld. . . .l|,ith a Memoir The 1B26 edition includes in plate I eTcblc ol Heights of the Progress of Geography, a Summarl' of Physical and Lengths of Some of the Principal A,lountains and Geography, and a Consulting Index to Facilitate the Riuers in thc World. In the 1836 edition appears ,4 Finding Out of Places (Edinburgh, London, 1817). -Thomson, Comparatiue Picture of the Waterfalts ol the World, A Neu GeneralAtlas...,1821 ed. See from *'hich Bulla may have received his inspiration. also Thomson's excellent Atlas ol Scotland (1832) for 'Joseph H. Coiton, Ceneral Atlas . . (Nerv york, examples of plates using smaller geographical areas for lB52). In this plate the rivers have been straightened comparison. This atlas contains an imaginatively styled out and the true direction of flow indicated. Distance waterfall plate and a river plate which indicates bridges betrveen points is also indicated. by illustration. The balioonists are ^ gone but active volcanoes are shown rrith smoke and American Journal ol Science, and Arts, 3:3G4 (1821). fire issuingfrom.their high points. s sThe George Woolworth Colton, General Atlas plate carries the date 1818. In other Tanner Letterpress Descriptions. Geographical. Statistical, atlases-Atlas ol the United States ( I835 ), profile and Historical, by Richard (Neu. of Erie Canal on a Nazt,A,Iap ol Neu, l'ork (plate 9), Su'ainson Fisher and Tanner's Neu' [Jniuersal At.las (1833 and l836\- York, 187'1). Editions of 1855 (sepia plates), 1874, profiles of lengths of rivers and heights of mountains 1BB.l. and lBBB (all in color) rvere examined. plate shorv the gradual increase in elaborate pictorial 5 includes Principal Riuers and Lakes ol the World expression. and. on the verso, Principal lllountains ol the World. * Franz Pluth, Hdhen Charte: oder bildlich t,er- Plate 6, C omparatiue Size of Lakes and I slands, is gleichende Ubersicht der bedeutendster: Berge n similar to plates in several atlases of the period. Europa, Asien, Alrica, America und den si)tiseeLiindern " Samuel Ausustus lr{itchell. A JtieiL.L'nitersal Atlas / Prae. I 823 ) . Containing Maps ol the l'arious Empire s. Kingdoms, Eckcrt. " p. 449. States and Rebublics ol the llorld, Il'itit a St,ecial 205 o Mop of Each ol the United States, Plans ol Cities, Heinrich Berghaus, Atlas uon r{sia (Gotha, lB28- Uc. (Philadelphia, I846 ). 56). See also the profiles on plates 5,9, 11, and 12. sAlvin p Jervett Johnson, New Illustrated Farniiy Berghaus, Physikalischer Atlas: oder, Sammlung Atlas ol the World, lVith Physical Geography, and t'on Karten, aul denen die hauptsdchlichsten Erschci- With Descriptions Gcographical, Statistical, and His- nungerrder anorganischenund organischenNatur nach torical, Including the Latest Federal Census, and the ihrer geographischen Verbreitung und Vertheilung Existing Religious Denominations in the World. Text bildlich dargestelltsind (Gotha, 1845). lB52 edition in by Richard Swainson Fisher (New York, 1866). two volumes. * 'o Henry Lange, Gcographicher Handatlas iiber alla The two atlases are similar, Johnston's atlas being Theilc dar hde (Leipzig, l866). "based on the Physikalischer Atlas of Professor tTaintor Bros. and Merrill, The American House- H. Berghaus." For an excellent history of these physical hold and Commcrcial Atlos ol thc World. Carelully atlases, their publication history, plates, etc., see Ger- Prcparcd and Drawn From the Coast Suraey Reports, hard Engelmann's "Der Physikalische .{tlas des Hein- aad Other Oftcial Sutacys and Authotities ol the rich Berghaus und Alexander Keith Johnstons United States and Othcr Goocrnments (New York, r87+). Physical Atlas," Petermanns Geographische Mit- tcilungen, 108: 133-149 ( 1964). a Atlas zu Alcx. a. Humboldt's Kosmos in zweiund- o Carl Troll, introduction to Die tropischcn Gcbirgc: oicrzig Taleln mit crldutcrndcm Textc. Herausgegeben ihrc dreidimensionale klimatischc uad pflanzcngeo- von Traugott Bromme (Stuttgart I85l-54]). t Adolf Stieler, l/azd-Atlas iibcr allc Thcilc der grcph;sehe Zonierung (Bonn, 1959). See also "Die Erdc, nach dcm neucstet Zustande, und ilber das dreidimensionale Landschafagleiderung der Erde," in llcltgcbiudc; hrsg. von Adolf Stieler (Gotha Hcrmann uon Wisstnan-Festschrift (Tiibingen, 1962), [1834]). Plates are dated from lBl6 to 1834. p. 54J0.