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1955 Thiriar Historical Pictorial Map of the Congo
CongoTabulaHistorica-thiriar-1955$1,200.00
Title
Congo Tabula Historica.
1955 (undated) 41 x 29.5 in (104.14 x 74.93 cm)
1955 (undated) 41 x 29.5 in (104.14 x 74.93 cm)
Description
This is a strikingly vivid c. 1955 James Thiriar historical pictorial map of the Congo. It presents a colorful but serious look at the harsh realities of Congo's brutal history, including inter-tribal warfare, slavery, and colonialism.
Coverage roughly equates to the modern borders of Congo. The map attempts to record various overland voyages of European explorers as well as tribal events and wars, naming some 51 events up to the 1952 establishment of the Belgian Kamina military base in southern Congo. Thiriar does not shy away from many of the brutal events that made the Congo's long history exceptionally brutal - slavery, exploitation, mass slaughter, and more. Key figures from Congolese history, both European and African, decorate the border. At the bottom is a representation of the 1598 Pigafetta / de Bry / Lopex map of the Congo, one of the earliest printed maps of that region.
This map was published to capitalize on Belgian public interest in the Congo, and possibly for distribution to schools. Although celebrating the cultures of the Congo and Thiriar's fascination with it, this map cannot be divorced from the harsh reality of Belgian colonialism. The Belgian occupation of the Congo (1885 - 1960) was infamous for its brutal exploitation of resources and people.
A Closer Look
The artist James Thiriar participated in the Belgian 1932 Ruwenzori Expedition, during which he was inspired by Congo's rich artistic traditions and cultural tapestry. During the expedition, he created watercolors of the people he encountered, much of which later inspired his commercial work - as here.Coverage roughly equates to the modern borders of Congo. The map attempts to record various overland voyages of European explorers as well as tribal events and wars, naming some 51 events up to the 1952 establishment of the Belgian Kamina military base in southern Congo. Thiriar does not shy away from many of the brutal events that made the Congo's long history exceptionally brutal - slavery, exploitation, mass slaughter, and more. Key figures from Congolese history, both European and African, decorate the border. At the bottom is a representation of the 1598 Pigafetta / de Bry / Lopex map of the Congo, one of the earliest printed maps of that region.
This map was published to capitalize on Belgian public interest in the Congo, and possibly for distribution to schools. Although celebrating the cultures of the Congo and Thiriar's fascination with it, this map cannot be divorced from the harsh reality of Belgian colonialism. The Belgian occupation of the Congo (1885 - 1960) was infamous for its brutal exploitation of resources and people.
Publication History and Census
This map was created by James Thiriar c. 1955 and published in Brussels by the Centre d'Information ed de Documentation du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. It was printed by Lithographie Linsmô, Bruxelles. This is one of Thiriar's scarcer maps. We note an example in the David Rumsey Collection.Cartographer
James Thiriar (January 11, 1889 - October 12, 1965) was a Belgian illustrator, draughtsman, painter, and costume designer. Born in Ixelles, Belgium, Thiriar was a member of the Belgian Civil Guard, a group tasked with civil law and order, at the outbreak of World War I (1914 - 1918). Wounded while fighting with the Civil Guards against the German invasion, he joined the Belgian Army in London. His first job for the Belgian Army was with the Topographic Service, where he created detailed maps and sketches of the frontlines. Thiriar was later transferred to the artistic section, where he produced drawings of the everyday lives of soldiers, many of which were published in The Illustrated London News. He organized exhibitions of his drawings in La Panne and London in 1917 and, under the pseudonym Uilenspiegel, his work appeared in the Belgian French-language magazine L'Yser: Journal Hebdomadaire du Front Belge. His work was also published in the bi-monthly French magazine La Guerre des Nations under the title La guerre sur l'Yser dessinée. He also illustrated Jacques Pirenne's 1917 book Les Vainqueurs de l'Yser. He published his own memoirs about the war, which he also illustrated, entitled Gloire et Misère au Front de Flandres 1914 - 1918. He opened his own studio in Brussels shortly after the war and worked as a costume designer for the Théàtre Royal de la Monnaie and worked for several other theater companies. He also worked on set designs and created advertisements for the SNCF. Thiriar participated in the 1932 Belgian exploratory mission to Ruwenzori and painted several notable watercolors and gouaches of vegetation in Congo and Sudan. He provided 232 illustrations for Fernand Gendarme's three-volume work Croquis Congolais in 1942. More by this mapmaker...
Condition
Excellent. Laid on linen.
References
Rumsey 8863.000.