1926 Coulton Waugh Pictorial Map of Cape Cod

Comical historical map of the Cape.

This is Coulton Waugh's 1926 map of Cape Cod. This is the second pictorial map issued by Waugh, predated only by his map of Provincetown (1924).

A Closer Look

The map is centered on Cape Cod Bay and covers from Plymouth and Buzzards Bay east to the Atlantic, and from Provincetown to Hyannis and Chatham. Waugh has lavishly illustrated this map with a host of amusing vignettes ranging from 'ye savage bucke,' 'ye monstrous wild animal,' 'ye dangerous toadstools,' 'ye old man of the sea' (a merman), and 'ye remorseless savage,' among others. The map also includes historical annotations regarding the voyages of the Mayflower and Bartholomew Gosnold. In the upper right, there is a portrait of Miles Standish, 'ye Stern Captayne'. Cape Cod Bay is occupied by a grand title cartouche including a compass rose and images of a pilgrim and an American Indian chief.

Publication History and Census

Waugh issued this map in 1927. It was his second pictorial map, following his map of Provincetown, which was issued in 1924. This map is only cataloged among the holdings of Boston Public Library and is increasingly scarce on the market.

Cartographer

Frederick Coulton Waugh (March 10, 1896 - May 23, 1973) was an American artist, painter, and writer based in Provincetown, MA, and later Newburgh, New York. Waugh was born in Cornwall, England. He immigrated to the United States in 1907 and settled in Philadelphia with his father, maritime painter Frederick Judd Waugh (grandson of portraitist Samuel Waugh). Coulton enrolled in New York's Art Students League, where he studied with George Bridgman, Frank Dumond, and John Carlson. In 1916, he took work as a textile designer before moving to Provincetown in 1918 to open a model ship and hooked rug shop. Coulton is best known for his comic strip Dickie Dare and his book The Comics, a comprehensive study of comic strips that traces their history. Coulton also taught art, wrote instructional and educational art books, and edited home study course art textbooks. A professional sailor, he drew historic ships and created decorative nautically themed maps. His 'serious' paintings, first displayed at the Hudson Walker Gallery in New York, were, according to one writer, 'enough to give his father's admirers the jitters.' In cartography, Waugh is known for several pictorial maps, including a 'Map of Silk,' Provincetown (1924), Cape Cod (1926), Cape Ann (1927), Old Cape Cod (1930), Long Island, and the Hudson River (1958). He also issued a map of California (1940) in collaboration with his wife, Odin Burvik (aka Mabel Burwick).   Further Details...

Condition

Average. Varnished over, leading to fading and overall toning. Small areas of loss not affecting the image in top-left and bottom-right corners. Priced accordingly.

References

Rumsey 8216.000. OCLC 781476909.