1948 McCall Pictorial Map of Chicago and the Loop

Created in the euphoria just after World War II, this 1948 Robert McCall pictorial map of Chicago captures the era's gaiety. A promotional piece meant to draw vacationers to the city, muted colors evoke warmth and comfort. Chicago's institutions, including the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Technology, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Newberry Library are all prominently illustrated. Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, Comiskey Park, and Navy Pier also take pride of place. The detailed inset of the business district, The Loop, emphasizes the newfound prosperity of the post-war years and Chicago's economic importance. An additional sixty-three locations are numerically identified between the two maps and correspond with an index situated along the bottom border. An even larger index catalogs hotels, department stores, theaters, skyscrapers, and other places of interest to potential visitors.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Robert McCall and published by the Chicago Convention Bureau in 1948. An example is part of the David Rumsey Map Collection. Four examples are catalogued in the OCLC and are part of the institutional collections at the Newberry Library, the University of Chicago, DePaul University, and the University of Toronto.