City Character Prints: The Poster Maps Published by Archar Inc., Toronto, Ontario.

Rhys Stevens

doi:10.15353/acmla.n173.5669

City Character Prints

The Poster Maps Published by Archar Inc., Toronto, Ontario.

Authors

Rhys Stevens University of Lethbridge

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/acmla.n173.5669

Keywords:

Map ephemera, promotional posters, pictorial maps

Abstract

Archar Inc. of Toronto, Ontario was one of the most prolific publishers of pictorial poster-maps of North American cities during the 1970s and 1980s. Their “City Character Prints” were three dimensional perspective maps created by artists to evoke the unique spirit of a place by including illustrations representative of city symbols, historical facts and cartoon-like caricatures of prominent citizens. Costs of poster production were subsidized by collecting advertising fees from local businesses and attractions in return for promotion on the finished map.

Author Biography

Rhys Stevens, University of Lethbridge

Librarian III, University of Lethbridge

References

Charm city with a few surprises. (1977, May 22). Baltimore Sun, 53.

Horsby, S. J. (2017). Picturing America: The golden age of pictorial maps. University of Chicago Press.

Krier, B. A. (1979, Oct. 18). City in caricature: Putting L.A. on the map. The Los Angeles Times, 81; 97.

Southworth, M. & Southworth, S. (1982). Maps: A visual survey and design guide. Little, Brown. https://archive.org/details/mapsvisualsurvey00sout

Stevens, R. (2023). The cartoon-style poster maps of Trans Continental Cartographers Ltd., Vancouver, B.C. Bulletin - Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA), (172), 19-25. https://doi.org/10.15353/acmla.n172.5459

Treib, M. (1980). Mapping experience. Design Quarterly, 115, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.2307/4091019.

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Appendix

Published

2024-04-01

How to Cite

Stevens, R. (2024). City Character Prints: The Poster Maps Published by Archar Inc., Toronto, Ontario. Bulletin - Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA), (173), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.15353/acmla.n173.5669

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Issue

No. 173 (2024): ACMLA Bulletin Winter 2024

Section

Articles

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