1940 Jolly Lindgren Humerous Pictorial Map of Grand Canyon National Park

This is a humorous 1940 Jolly Lindgren pictorial map of Grand Canyon National Park, one of the less common works from the Hysterical Map series.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the Grand Canyon National Park from the Kanab Plateau and Mount Sinyala to the Painted Desert and from the Kaibab National Forest to the Tusayan National Forest. Comments and asides in Lindgren's inimitable style are scattered throughout. Lindgren's signature birds soar over the canyon, deriding his work ('A nightmare in Technicolor! and 'It ain't neat but it's pretty!') and commenting on the canyon ('Looks like the Colorado is in a rut!'). A 'No Dumping' sign is prominently displayed along the North Rim, hinting at humanity's unfortunate inclination to fill creek beds, ditches, etc., with garbage. Numerous locations throughout the canyon are labeled, including several temples (such as Isis Temple), points, gorges, buttes, and rapids along the Colorado River. Steamboat Mountain, one of the more recognizable locations within the Grand Canyon, is illustrated here as an actual steamboat. A legend in the bottom left corner explains the notations used, and asks the question, 'Don't you think the canyon is a trifle over-done?'

Grand Canyon

Carved by the Colorado River over the course of millions of years, the Grand Canyon has fascinated visitors for centuries and is considered to be a holy site by the Pueblo people. Originally established as a game preserve by President Theodore Roosevelt, T.R. changed its status to a U.S. National Monument in 1908, following passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. It would take another 11 years before Grand Canyon National Park would be established in 1919 during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.

Lindgren Brothers Hysterical Maps

Starting in 1932, the Lindgren Brothers of Spokane, Washington, began issuing medium-format pictorial maps, mostly of national parks, which they dubbed 'Hysterical.' The maps were doubtless influenced by the comparable work of American mapmakers Jo Mora and Harrison Godwin, as well as international figures like MacDonald Gill. Lindgren maps were simply illustrated with primary colors and lighthearted content, meant to get a laugh or at least a raised eyebrow.

They emerged in the Interwar Period (1918 - 1939), an era defined by the breakdown of social structure, widespread disillusionment, the Great Depression, industrialization, and breakneck technological advances. In the United States, spurred by the ease of movement brought about by the automobile, infrastructure investment by New Deal programs, escapism into nature, and affordability, a nationwide love affair with our National Parks emerged - and remains.

The Lindgrens capitalized on this unique situation to introduce an affordable, mailable souvenir - the Hysterical Map. Both visually striking and funny, the Hysterical Map could be framed and displayed as a happy memento or folded and mailed to friends and family. The Lindgrens made maps of most of the Great National Parks, as well as other points of interest, though they kept a broad focus on the Western United States. Hysterical Maps remained in production until about 1954.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Jolly Lindgren and published by Lindgren Brothers in 1940. There are only a handful of examples of this map in institutional collections.

We invite readers to read our evolving cartobibliography of Lindgren Brothers maps here: Hysterical Maps of the Lindgren Brothers: A Cartobibliography