Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (October 28, 1875 - February 4, 1966) was an American photographer, journalist and editor active in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Grosvenor was born in Istanbul under the Ottoman empire to American parents living and studying in Istanbul. He studied at the Worchester Academy, the Robert Elementary School, and at Amherst College, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1897. In 1899, shortly after college Grosvenor became the first full time employee of the National Geographic Society - at the time headed by Alexander Graham Bell. In time he became the director, then, in 1920, president of the society. He retained this position, also editing the popular National Geographic Magazine, until 1954. Grosvenor advocated policies of neutrality and positive, upbeat journalism through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the beginning of the Cold War. He laid down the principles of photojournalism, earning the honorific, 'Father of Photojournalism.' He was a champion of the National Park Service, and Katmai National Park's Grosvenor Lodge is named in his honor. Grosvenor was married to Elise May Bell (1878 - 1964), daughter of inventor and National Geographic Society founding father, Alexander Graham Bell. Grosvenor's health deteriorated following the death of his wife and he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 90 on February 4, 1966. He is interred at Rock Creek Cemetery alongside his wife and other members of the Bell family. More by this mapmaker...

August Hoen and Company (fl. c. 1840 - 1981) was a Baltimore based engraving and lithography firm active in the middle part of the 19th century. A. Hoen and Co. was originally founded by Edward Weber under the name 'E. Weber and Company.' Weber died in the early 1850s and his company was taken over by German immigrant August Hoen (18?? - 1886) and his brothers, Henry and Ernest Hoen. As general interest lithographers, the Hoen firm's corpus includes posters, cigar boxes, sheet music covers, and posters as well as maps. They are best known for their pioneering multi-color lithographic techniques. After the death of August Hoen, the business passed on to his son, Albert Hoen. Another son, Earnest A. Hoen, moved to Richmond, Virginia and opened a branch of the firm there where he was granted a charter to produce Civil War era Confederate Currency. Their contributions to the cartographic field are generally in association with engraving and printing work done for Jacob Monk and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Hoen family maintained an active interest in the firm for the next 100 years or so until it finally filed for bankruptcy in 1981. Learn More...