I bought my first antique map in 1971. It was a Father's Day gift for my dad. It was an 1865 map of Ohio, his birth state. I had not thought a lot about it until this Father' Day when my wife gave me an antique map of Michigan (my birth state). The map was made by the A.J. Johnson Company. Interesting to me, so was the map of Ohio, both made by the same company. And what a piece of art. (The Michigan map) had a beautiful Celtic border and while the color had faded, it looked hand painted. I decided to do some research.
Yes, it was hand colored with pink, green, yellow and red. Alvin Jewett Johnson (A.J.) was one of three well known 19th century cartographers and is linked to two other well known "map makers". D. Griffing Johnson (no relation) and J.H. Colton worked together in the 1840's and 1850's creating numerous wall maps. Like all of A.J. Johnson's maps they had gorgeous borders (often iron scrollwork) and vivid colors. D. Griffing and Joseph Hutchins (J.H.) Colton produced an important world atlas in 1855 in their office on Nassau St. in New York City.
Little is known about D. Griffing but we do know that Colton was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and is a descendent of the original founder of Springfield and moved to New York in 1830. Colton was the "business man" and D. Griffing was the engraver. By 1856 they had attained international prominence.
One of my favorite stories about them was their having been commissioned to produce 2,500 map copies of Bolivia for their government. The agreed upon fee of $25,000 was not paid as a national revolution broke out. Unfortunately, they had not only completed all field work but had also produced the entire lot of maps. This blow led to an eventual buyout by A.J. Johnson and a partner named Ross Browning. A.J. had published a map with F. Griffing and Colton in 1855 and I believe it's fair to say the four constituted "the" business. All of their maps are highly valued as collectables today.
But my research led me further to the world of fire insurance maps. Perhaps the first was made in 1792 in England by Richard Horwood that was a map of London. The most famous of the "fire" map makers was the Sanborn Insurance Co. Their maps highlighted a building's footprint, its height, the number of stories, location of all doors, windows chimneys and elevators, the usage of the structure, street address and the building materials used. These maps from the late 19th century have become a key instrument for urban archeologists, ethnic studies and architectural historians.
Most interesting is that the fire maps also demonstrated how a core competency can become a significant new revenue stream. Imagine an insurance company today leasing their maps to companies that installed video cameras? As we move forward, all businesses should constantly consider application of their skills in categories they currently do not participate in. This strategic approach may not "change the game" but it certainly allows a company to "change the rules" of the current game.
W2
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