1936 Jolly Lindgren Pictorial Map of Yellowstone Park and Jackson Hole (Silkscreened)

This is a hilarious c. 1936 Jolly Lindgren pictorial map of Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming - here in a hand-silkscreened exemplar. This is the second of two Yellowstone maps issued in 1936; this one is expanded to include Jackson Hole. It also stands out for its deviant red border instead of Lindgren's standard blue. Unlike most Lindgren Brothers maps, this map has no copyright or imprint.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces the Yellowstone National Park - Jackson Hole region, from Idaho to the Absaroka Range and from Montana to Jackson. Major roadways are marked in red with important locations, topography, and more illustrated pictorially. Humorous asides and illustrations are present throughout. Some of the amusing annotations include:

• Old Faithful singing 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'
• Fountain Paint Pot (It Stinks Too)
• Yellowstone Falls (And How)
• Wahb Springs (Just a Little Cold in the Head)
• Hamburgers (on the Hoof)
• Hot Springs (Mustn't Touch)

Other comical illustrations include a bird fighting its reflection on Mirror Plateau and an annotation that reads 'wildflowers hereabouts'. The borders of Yellowstone National Park are marked. Outside the park, Jackson Lake, Two Ocean Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Mount Moran, and the Grand Teton are identified. A legend plainly (and comically) explains the difference between how mountains, lakes, and trees are illustrated.

Lindgren - Silkscreened or Not?

In any list or collection of Lindgren Brothers Hysterical Maps, it is essential to distinguish between those that were silkscreened by hand and those that were machine printed. Often, the difference is clear even to the untrained eye; other times, it is less so - generally, when not visually clear, you can feel the 'texture' of the layered paint. Likewise, defining an 'edition' is difficult and, in some cases, impossible. The most popular Hysterical Maps, such as Yellowstone, were printed in both silkscreen and machine presses, as well as in a variety of color configurations. Likely, the 1936 issues, to follow through with our Yellowstone example, continued to be issued well after that date using a variety of printing techniques due to their extreme popularity. Even within the narrow limits of those Lindgren maps that were silkscreened, we can trace an evolution of the printing techniques as the Lindgren Brothers refined their silkscreening processes and gained access to higher-quality paints, screens, and papers. Nor is it clear that they ever fully gave up on silkscreening; some of their later maps may have been silkscreened as proofs in the initial phase of production and then transitioned to mechanical printing. Other maps give no evidence of having ever been silkscreened, though it is not unlikely that silkscreened proofs or early examples may yet emerge. For collectors interested in adding value to their collections, silkscreened examples must be considered to be of the highest rarity and the gold standard, thus receiving a correspondingly higher market consideration.

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 undoubtedly influenced by the comparable work of American mapmakers Jo Mora and Harrison Godwin, as well as international figures such as 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 to this day.

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

This map was part of a series of maps drawn by Jolly Elmer Lindgren. Called 'Hysterical Maps' to differentiate their style and intention from the more common 'historical maps,' there are sister maps of many national parks as well as some universities. This was one of the Lindgren Brothers' earliest and most popular maps. The present example was printed via a silkscreen process, conforming to their earliest maps and proofs. The present silkscreened edition stands out as an exemplar and is priced accordingly.

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