HAWAI'I.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

The Crossroads of the Pacific. An early edition, perhaps the first, of this hemispherical map of the Pacific Ocean, centred on Hawai'i and encompassing Australia, the Chinese seaboard, and the Americas. Radiating lines show the distance from Honolulu to major cities in nautical miles.The map was issued by the Hawaii Promotion Committee, an organization formed in 1903 by the territory's government, chamber of commerce, and merchant association to boost tourism and trade. The committee published glossy brochures, pamphlets, maps, and other printed matter, and the theme of Hawai'i as the "Crossroads of the Pacific" recurred throughout its literature in the first two decades of the 20th century.Distribution of this map began as early as 1906, copies being sent to travel agents and railway and steamship offices. Several iterations are known, released by different publishers, including the American Hammond Map Company, and for the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle (with much less detail within the map). This example is attributed to Gregor Noetzel, an American cartographer active in the 1890s and 1900s, suggesting it precedes those issued by Hammond.

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