1932 Fay and McAvoy Pictorial Map of New York

New York's unique blend of historial treasures and and natural wonders.

This is a striking 1932 pictorial tourist map of New York State, compiled and copyrighted by Bertrand T. Fay and drawn by Everard A. McAvoy. The artists use the map to encourage tourism with New York's unique melange of cultural and natural wonders.

A Closer Look

New York State is illustrated in a brilliant yellow. The large green area in the eastern part of the state is Adirondack State Park; other smaller green areas are the Catskill State Forest Preserve and Allegany State Park. Small shields mark and identify other state parks. Banners highlight major cities and important towns throughout the state. Vignettes appear throughout, illustrating historical moments, factories and industries, important cultural sites, and natural wonders, including Niagara Falls, Watkins Glen, Fort Ticonderoga, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Captions for most of these appear in red. Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are both illustrated, as are the Finger Lakes and Oneida Lake. The State Barge Canal (now known as the Erie Canal) is also illustrated. An inset in the lower left details New York City and Long Island.

Publication History and Census

This map was compiled and copyrighted by Bertrand T. Fay and drawn by Everard A. McAvoy in 1932 for the New York State Hotel Association. We note 4 cataloged examples: New York State Library, the University of Michigan, the University of Kansas, and the David Rumsey Map Collection.

Cartographers

Bertrand Thomas Fay (September 21, 1898 - June 14, 1978) was an American advertising executive and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Fay was born in Albany, New York. By 1924, he was a member of the Adirondack Resorts Association and was representing the group at regional meetings, and was serving as chairman of the advertising committee. He published his only known map in 1932, entitled The Empire State, published for the New York State Hotel Association. In 1934, he was the president of the Advertising Club of Albany and the secretary-treasurer of the Empire State Publicity Council. By 1939, he was the advertising director for the Adirondack Resorts Association. By 1943, during World War II (1939 - 1945), Fay was a colonel in the United States Marine Corps serving as the Executive Officer at the Marine Corps Officer Candidate Schools at Quantico, Virginia. He was the Commanding Officer of the Headquarters Battalion of the 4th Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima. After the war, Fay served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and retired in December 1958 as a Lieutenant General (only the second Reserve officer to attain that rank up to that time). After the war, Fay founded the Fay Advertising Agency in Albany.   Further Details...

Everard Armond McAvoy (February 2, 1891 - March 26, 1953) was an American artist. He was born in Greenbush, New York. McAvoy lived in Rensselaer, New York, and appears in the Albany City Directory beginning in 1911 as a designer. On his World War II draft card, McAvoy provides his employer as the Albany Publicity Service. He married Helene 'Lena' Curtis (1895 - 1976) on February 18, 1914, with whom he had one son. It appears McAvoy never left Rensselaer County, New York, for his entire life.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Light wear along original fold lines. Verso repair to a fold separation.

References

Rumsey 13365.001. OCLC 53174202.