Antiques & Collectibles: Vintage maps can be a great decorating find

04 Jul

Antiques & Collectibles: Vintage maps can be a great decorating find

Updated

A cartographer is an individual who creates maps. The word comes from the Latin word charta, meaning “tablet or leaf of paper,” and the Greek word graphein, meaning to write or draw.

Darren Durman, owner of the Merchant General Store, Black River Falls, Wis., where you can find antiques and vintage items, said, “I think it is a combination of the beauty, color, quality, affordability, quirkly imperfections, plus the history that attracts people today to vintage maps. Mislabeled, misshapen, misplaced and just plain missing continents and countries do heighten the allure of these historic pieces.”

Sarah Kieffer, owner of Sarah’s Uniques and Jim’s “Man”tiques, St.Charles, said, “I do have old maps here in the shop. Old maps are very collectible now. People use them as wall art, blinds in their homes, and other decorative uses. We have single pull-downs, and double map pull-downs, and even a triple pull-down. They are all really old and from old school buildings. U.S. and world maps are very popular. My maps range in price from about $50 to $300, depending on the style, condition and year.”

As driving became more popular around the country, gas stations sprang up and maps showing happy explorers were given out from the 1930s to the ’50s. Early maps in great condition can reach up to $400 if they have bold graphics, though most are around $30.

Chris Rand Kujath, Old River Valley Antique Mall, Rochester, said, “The maps are constantly moving out of the shop, with some folks buying 30 at a time. One dealer bundles them like eight for $15. Currently we have around three dealers in the shop that have maps. Most range from $1 to $5. They usually go for more the older they are and if in nice condition. I do have a gentleman that comes in that is autistic and has thousands of maps. He is so interesting to help and we usually learn a lot from him since he knows every county in Minnesota.”

Color and beauty

Decorating with maps? Debra Olson, Uncommonplace, Hokah, said, “Folks are still interested in the map repurposes. I make examples mostly to share an idea with the customers and hopefully they’ll buy an atlas full of maps as I have many.”

The most interesting appeal is the color and beauty of the maps. This is where Lisa Middleton, who grew up along the Mississippi River, loves to use her special talent in color, blending and her sensitivity to the joys that maps hold for us as collectors. Since serious collectors usually buy maps made before 1800, they want them to appear in excellent condition and most were done on 100 percent rag paper.

At her studio in Kalispell, Mont., Middleton said, “I transform historical maps into hand-painted works of art. The cartographer can make the maps, but the artist makes it beautiful. I can see that maps are going to be one of the new trends in the art scene.”

Late 19th century maps can range in price from $25 up to $7,000 and more.

“With my mother as an historian and painter growing up in the Stoddard, Wis., area, she became my inspiration. I later became friends with Bev Doolittle, well-known watercolor artist.”

Hand-painted maps

About 10 years ago her mother Pat called, who owns Great River Publishing and greatriver.com, to encourage Middleton to paint maps after she received a collection of old maps while in Louisiana. Today, Middleton has completed more then 40 hand-painted maps and keeps growing. Middleton said,”I welcome this new trend because it expands affordable access to these symbols of regional heritage that folks wouldn’t obtain unless you’re lucky enough to afford rare originals. I discover much of my material in bookstores where maps are tucked away in dusty pages of old books and brochures or I look over the digital archives of universities and institutions such as the Library of Congress.”

People also give her maps. “I get folks such as one family who had the family plat containing their original family homestead and over the years it became faded and ripped in several places. So they ask if I could work my magic.”

Don’t worry, Middleton doesn’t work on the originals. “If an original or reproduction from a text I can make a high-resolution scan. If from a digital archive, I purchase an electronic scan. I never work directly on the original, which have an intrinsic value and market all of their own.”

Middleton’s work can be seen all summer at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum Gift Shop, 800 River View Drive, Winona. For more information, call 507-474-6626 or visit www.mmam.org. Middleton also has a website,www.greatriverarts.com, and a Facebook page. Her current collection includes maps of Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

Sandy Erdman, is a Winona freelance writer, dealer, speaker and workshop appraiser.  If you have a antique shop, hobby collecting anything or restoring antiques or collectibles and want to share within this column, contact Sandy at [email protected].

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