This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Producing Spatial Knowledge: Mapmaking in Edinburgh, c.;<<=-c.;?@= Anna Jane Feintuck Doctor of Philosophy University of Edinburgh =>?@ Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis has been composed by me, that the work is my own, and that it has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Anna Jane Feintuck August =>?@ This thesis is dedicated to my extraordinary grandmothers. Sybil Rose Feintuck (<=>-=@;A) & Judith Mary Ravenscroft-Brown (<>;-) Abstract This thesis examines the social and urban history of mapmaking in Edinburgh between c.?II> and c.?J=> and argues that cartography, along with the associated printing and publishing industries in the city, provides an effective lens on broader urban concerns. The predominant focus of the archival research is on the family-run firm John Bartholomew & Co., internationally-renowned map publishers during the period. The central questions of the thesis relate to print, knowledge, space and place. The work is grounded, in particular, within urban history and the geography of the book. Chapters are structured around the ‘lifecycle’ of a map and a re-modelled version of Robert Darnton’s ‘communications circuit’. Map production can profitably be contextualised within late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Edinburgh. A taxonomy of the contemporary printing and publishing industries shows — following Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the ‘field of cultural production’ — that it is crucial to understand the economic, industrial and intellectual setting in which cartographers operated. In this respect, mapmaking is viewed as a fundamentally social process, a theme that continues into the factory, where technological developments are considered in the context of workers’ experiences. The buildings and spaces in which mapmaking occurred take on epistemological significance: they reflect how ideas about city space were made and the related importance of local knowledge. Changes in the sites and conditions of cartographic production corresponded with the increasing organisation of space shown in maps and fire insurance plans such as those produced by the firm Charles E. Goad. Once maps left the premises, a geographical approach to understanding distribution advances links between production and consumption: the local conditions of their making influenced international, national and local sales networks. Throughout, the thesis emphasises the importance of understanding maps as socially constituted objects. This also allows for new insights into the purchasing, ownership and use of maps. Tracing specific instances of use shows that meaning was not solely shaped by cartographers but also by the ongoing interactions and interventions of owners or readers. Overall, the thesis shows that mapmaking was a continually developing way of understanding the city. This was true for cartographers, city officials, or insurers, each of whose increasingly detailed conception of urban space corresponded with more i accurate production practices and the greater availability of printed cartographic material. Mapmaking was also part of a broader move towards the growing documentation of urban places. The forms of cartography examined in this thesis show how codified, empirical systems of knowledge came to occupy a privileged position in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century cities. In particular, mapmaking practices in Edinburgh changed not only how the urban was depicted, but also how city spaces were conceptualised and used. ii Lay summary This thesis is about mapmaking in Edinburgh between c.?II> and c.?J=>. Its main argument is that by examining urban maps, and the processes behind their making, we can learn more about the city itself. Maps can be seen as a printed representation of geographical knowledge, which was recorded by the cartographer and potentially acquired by the reader. The thesis offers insight into the nature of this knowledge, where it came from and how it spread. The majority of the research presented in this thesis was carried out in the Bartholomew Archive at the National Library of Scotland. This archive holds the records of the family-run firm John Bartholomew & Co., who were internationally- renowned map publishers during the late nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The material in the Bartholomew Archive illuminates the main questions of the thesis, which relate to print, knowledge, space and place. The ‘lifecycle’ of the map — from the urban setting of its conception to the complexities of its eventual use — provides the structure for the thesis. Throughout, it views mapmaking as a social process: that is, the many people involved, and their relationships, were crucial in shaping the finished product. Attention is given to workers’ experiences as well as to the intellectual side of cartography. This distinction — between industry and intellect — is an important recurrent theme. The analysis also considers the significance of where the various stages of mapmaking occurred. Maps showed places and, in so doing, had the potential to shape people’s thoughts about geography. The thesis builds on this idea to suggest that, in fact, where maps were made had an effect on how trustworthy they were seen to be. The relationship between the representation of place and the acquisition of credibility is another central theme. Overall, the thesis shows that mapmaking developed throughout the period in question and that, as it did so, it offered new ways of understanding the city — which was also changing rapidly at this time. This did not just have an impact on cartographers, but also on figures such as city officials and insurers, who needed accurate maps in order to be able to carry out their work, which became more complex as cities grew. Reliable and systematically-produced urban knowledge became vital in this period. Mapmaking practices in Edinburgh changed the way places were depicted, and they also changed the way people thought about and used the city. iii iv Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors, Richard Rodger and Charles Withers, who appointed me to work on this thesis as part of their broader project, ‘Mapping Edinburgh’s Social History’. They have both been encouraging, constructive and, above all, deeply supportive throughout. I first worked with Richard as a second- year undergraduate and his guidance over the eight years I have subsequently spent exploring various aspects of Edinburgh’s history has been invaluable. I was very fortunate to also benefit from the knowledge and support of Christopher Fleet, Senior Maps Curator at the National Library of Scotland. I am grateful for his consistent willingness to share his knowledge and the generosity with which he offers his time. The staff at the National Library of Scotland made conducting research a pleasure. In the wonderful Maps Library on Causewayside, Tam (now retired), Alan, Laragh and all of their colleagues always went above and beyond to help me. In =>?_ I was granted a J.B. Harley Fellowship in the History of Cartography, which gave me the chance to spend time in the British Library. Catherine Delano-Smith and Peter Barber made me feel very welcome in London. Peter took the time to orient me in the Maps Room and introduce me to members of staff, who were all extremely helpful (and patient). Working with John Ennis at Gayfield Creative Spaces in the summer of =>?` helped me to see how I could engage a wider audience with this research through our co-curation of PACE: Walking by Design. I finished this thesis while working as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. There, Ewen Cameron has been an unfailing source of support, and my brilliant students have given me the chance to widen my own thinking and teaching. Sarah Laurenson, Sophie Cooper and Felicity Loughlin: there’s far too much to list here, so simply thank you for being the best not-so-new-now friends I could ever have hoped for. And to all my friends: thank you so much for tolerating my increasing social ineptitude and making me laugh even in difficult moments. My parents have supported me, practically and emotionally, in everything I have done. I know for certain that without my mum, my dad and my step-mum Lisa, none of this would be possible. I am grateful to them — and for them — every day. This thesis is for all of these people. Most of all, it is for Tom Heggarty: tea- maker, listener and problem-solver extraordinaire; cycling buddy, boyfriend, best pal. v vi Contents Abstract i Lay summary iii Acknowledgements v List of figures ix List of tables xiii Chapter ; Introduction ? Research questions and rationale ` Structure of the thesis