1936 Frank Dorn Map of Beijing or Peking, China

One of the iconic maps of the golden age of Pictorial Maps.

An example of Frank Dorn's iconic 1936 chromolithograph pictorial map of Beijing or Peking, China. It is considered one of the great maps from the Golden Age of Pictorial Cartography. The map captures Beijing in the days leading up to World War II (1939 - 1945) - though by this time, China was already at odds with Japan, and the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937 - 1945), a precursor to WWII in Asia, was brewing.

A Closer Look

This map details Beijing as contained within the old city walls as well as parts of the surrounding area. Dorn combines cartographic accuracy with a dense array of ethnographic and historical vignettes intended to illustrate the history of Beijing. Some of these include the Old Execution Ground, the Eunuchs' Cemetery, the Dog Temple, the Temple of Eighteen Hells, and the Spider Pagoda, among countless others. The elaborate border takes the form of a chronology of Beijing, with illustrated annotations such as 'Decadent Period under the Ch'ings' and 'Capital of Kublai Khan 1264'.

This map is the most famous of Dorn's four cartographic productions and grew out of his fascination with Chinese history. In the preface to his 1970 book The Forbidden City: The Biography of a Palace, Dorn describes the inception of this remarkable map:

I developed an interest in the Forbidden City and other imperial residences, first from casual sightseeing and then from conducting important visitors and tourists through the palaces. A growing familiarity with the buildings and courts soon became an absorbing urge to learn more about the history and legends connected with those who had created and lived within the walls of the palace-city. The first result of my researches was a pictorial map of Peking, after which I was completely hooked on the whole fascinating subject.

Dorn's inspiration in creating this map may well have been the work of California artist Jo Mora (1876-1847), of whom he was a friend and admirer. The whimsical style, bright colors, and overall design is certainly highly reminiscent of Mora's work.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Dorn’s Maps

Frank Dorn produced four known pictorial maps. His work is likely inspired by the California artist Jo Mora (1876 - 1847), of whom he was a friend and admirer. The whimsical style, bright colors, and overall design are highly reminiscent of Mora's work.

1. A Map and History limned by order of the Commanding General of the Military Reservation of Fort William McKinley ~ Province of Rizal ~ Philippine Islands... (Manila, Philippines). Dated November 30, 1927.
2. Being a Map of a Part of the Military Reservation of Camp Stotsenburg · Province of Pampanga · Philippine Islands... (Pampanga, Philippines). Dated April 20, 1929.
3. A Map and History of the Military Reservation of Fort Sill Oklahoma... (Oklahoma). Dated 1931.
4. A Map and History of Peiping - there are 2-3 known editions, distinguished by the flags used for Germany. All are dated 1936.
   1. First Edition: Contains the striped tricolour black-white-red Nazi flag (1933 - 1935).
   2. Second Edition: Nazi tricolour flag replaced with the swastika flag of the Nazi regime (1935 - 1945).
   3. Third Edition: Reports suggest a version without a German flag, but no confirmed examples are known.

Publication History and Census

This map was published in 1936 Tientsin and Beijing, China, by the Peiyang Press. There are at least two editions, this being the second, per our list above. The present example is the edition with the swastika flag. Scarce in good condition with binder.

Cartographer

Frank 'Pinky' Dorn (June 25, 1901 - July 26, 1981) was an American artist,'old China hand,' and military officer active in East Asia during the middle part of the 20th century. Dorn was born in San Francisco, California, and later studied at West Point, after which he was commissioned in the U.S. Army Field Artillery. He served in the Philippines from 1926 to 1929, where he made his first two pictorial maps, of Fort McKinley and Fort Stotsenburg. From 1930 to 1933, he served as an instructor at the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1931, Dorn made a map of Fort Sill. Dorn was stationed in Beijing in 1934, where he studied Chinese. It was during this period that Dorn made his greatest contribution to cartography, his iconic pictorial Map and History of Peiping. Dorn's important maps, issued from 1927 to 1936, followed in the artistic-cartographic style of Jo Mora (1876 - 1947), with whom he was acquainted and whose work he admired. During World War II (1939 - 1945), he was assigned as an aide to Brigadier General 'Uncle Joe' Stilwell in the Burma theater under whom he served from 1939 - 1942. There is some indication that Dorn may have served as a field cartographer under Stilwell, but none of these maps are known to have survived. After the war, he was elevated to the rank of Brigadier General and served from 1944 to 1945 as the commander of the China Training and Combat Command. Dorn retired in 1953 and returned to San Francisco, where he devoted the remainder of his life to painting. He became involved with the psychedelic movement and produced a number of paintings in this vein. Dorn died in 1981 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Has been professionally cleaned and laid down on archival paper. Remargined.

References

Rumsey 7960.004. OCLC 21135892.