1880 Iliadou Manuscript Map of the Americas

An intriguing c. 1880 Greek manuscript map of the Americas produced by one Sotirias Iliadou, who possibly was a schoolchild, though the level of skill and precision displayed would suggest an older student in their teenage years or young adulthood. It is the only example of the 'Schoolgirl Map' genre we've identified in Greek.

A Closer Look

Covering North, Central, and South America in their entirety, the map notes international boundaries, physical features such as rivers and mountains, and cities. Individual U.S. states are also labeled, and their borders outlined. Almost inevitably for a work of cartographic translation, some oddities appear, including a city called Arizona (Αριζόνα) in the southwestern part of that state and the appearance of the Great Salt Lake in Nevada instead of Utah. The border between Washington and Oregon continues to follow the Columbia River inland, rather than running along the 46th parallel in the east. The names of some states appear to have been entirely lost in translation (for example, Michigan as 'Tani' ΤΑΝΗ).

The Transcontinental Railroad cuts prominently across the U.S. The Panama Canal (Κ. ΠΑΝΑΜΑ) is noted; that is, the abortive French attempt in the 1880s involving Ferdinand de Lesseps (builder of the Suez Canal). An impressive level of attention is devoted to the labeling of rivers in Canada and rivers and mountains in South America.

It is likely that this work was produced by a young woman using an atlas map in translation. We have been unable to identify the source map although it is likely a German map from one of the Justus Perthes atlases - which would have been readily available in Greece.

Publication History and Census

This manuscript map was drawn by one Sotirias Iliadou (Σωτηρία Ηλιάδου), seemingly the feminine form of the name. It is reminiscent of 'schoolgirl maps' that were a common pedagogical tool in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the delicacy and attention to detail displayed here suggest a work by an older child, or perhaps beyond their school years. Given the limited educational opportunities available, especially to women, in Greece at the time, it is also very possible that this work was undertaken outside the context of the formal educational system (only a small number of schools, such as the American missionary-run Hill School in Athens, offered formal education to girls). As a manuscript map it is an entirely unique work.