Collection: Osher Map Library Collection
Name: [Map of Nantucket for the blind]
Barcode:
Image Number:
Creator:
Printmaker:
Publishing Location:
Notes: Tactile map of Nantucket and part of Martha's Vineyard embossed using Boston Line Type, an early tactile reading system for the blind. The map notes latitude and longitude, includes a compass rose, and labels the Atlantic Ocean, Vineyard Sound, Tuckanuck I[sland], and Nantucket, while part of Martha's Vineyard is shown but not labeled. A star indicates the location of Nantucket Harbor. It was likely printed between 1837-1840.
Physical Description:
Publisher:
Date/Date Range Produced:
Language:
Region Depicted:
Dimensions: 9.2 x 15.8 cm
Printing Process:
Printing Technique:
Material Type:
Historical Context: The map is done in what is known as embossed type, a form of writing for the blind that was in use in the 1800s (before braille became the widely used option). It is made by pressing up from the back of a sheet, both letters and shapes, including maps. This particular map is in Boston Line Type, the form of embossed type developed by Samuel Gridley Howe, founding director of the Perkins School for the Blind, in 1835 and was in use through the early 1900s. Stephen Preston Ruggles (S.P. Ruggles) took charge of printing at the Perkins School for the Bind in 1835, where he developed a new printing press and paper type specifically suited to printing tactile materials. While there were costs for setting up the plate for the printing machine, once the plate was established, making additional copies had a much lower cost, just the cost of the paper and labor. This map was likely a sample, many of which were printed for use as teaching aids for other schools, for inclusion in the Perkins School's Annual Reports, and as demonstrations of the types of resources available in tactile form.
LC Call Number: G3762.N3A7 1840 .P4
OCLC: 1584665801
See Also:
Permanent URL:
