Special Collections Division the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Vol. XI * No. 2 * Fall 1997

The Cartographic Collections of Virginia Garrett
by Katherine R. Goodwin

Texas, 1838 by Thomas G. Bradford.

On October 1, 1997, Virginia Garrett of Fort Worth formally donated her extensive map collection to The University of Texas at Arlington at a dinner and exhibition opening held in her honor. The event highlighted the acquisition by the UTA Libraries of one of the premier map collections in the country. Numbering approximately 900 maps, the collection focuses on Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Greater Southwest, and will substantially enhance not only the Cartographic History Library, but the other holdings of the Special Collections Division as well.

Mrs. Garrett, who began acquiring the maps to compliment her husband’s Texana and Mexican War materials, built the collection over a forty-year period. A review reveals that, although focused on a specific geographical region, the maps in the collection reflect a diversity of geographical views, printing processes used, and a variety of cartographers. The maps, dating from the dawn of New World exploration to the early twentieth century, depict not only the evolution of the cartographic history of the region, but portray its cultural, social, political, and economic development as well.

Cartouche from Map of America,1804, by Aaron Arrowsmith

One of the greatest strengths, perhaps the signature of the entire collection, can be found in the representations of Texas and the development of its cartographic history. The Garrett collection includes most of the nineteenth century landmark maps of the area as well as earlier productions considered "mother maps" of the region. Among the holdings are Map of Texas with parts of the Adjoining States compiled by Stephen F. Austin (Philadelphia: Henry S. Tanner, 1836); Map of Texas, compiled from Surveys on record in the General Land Office of the Republic by Richard S. Hunt and Jesse F. Randel (New York: Sherman & Smith, 1845); J. De Cordova’s Map of the State of Texas (Houston: Robert Creuzbaur, 1849); The State of Texas by David H. Burr (New York: R. S. Fisher, 1846); and Texas (Boston: Thomas G. Bradford, 1838) to name just a few. Maps that predate the Republic of Texas period and are instrumental in tracing the cartographic history of Texas also are abundant in the collection and include, among others, the works of Nicolas de Fer, Guillaume DeLisle, Aaron Arrowsmith, Alexander von Humboldt, and John Melish.

In the area of Texas studies, the collection has great depth and diversity. The representations of the land that became Texas begin with the earliest maps of the sixteenth century and continue up to the first decades of the twentieth. The collection will support research and study into the ever shifting boundaries of Texas, including state, national and international; emigration and migration, by covered wagon, ship, and railroad; and a number of other cultural and political topics spanning the five hundred year history of the region since first European contact.

Texas is not the only focus of the collection. In fact, other strengths can be seen in the diverse and encompassing views represented in the collection, including those of the world, the western hemisphere, the North American continent, and the Greater Southwest. The Garrett holdings also include a number of specialized maps, such as coastal surveys, city views and plans, and maps of railroads and other thematic productions. The collection is chronologically balanced in the representation of views, with world and hemisphere depictions dominating the earlier maps, while later nineteenth century productions provide large scale maps of the region, state, and city. Such a broad sweep strengthens the research value of the collection by setting the area in the context of the world.

America Settentrionale, 1688, by Vicenzo Maria Coronelli.

The collection also includes works of almost all the great sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth century cartographers, publishers, and "schools" of cartography. The early Dutch cartographers who for a time dominated European map making are evident, including works by Abraham Ortelius, Jodocus Hondius, and Sebastian Münster. The French are represented as well in the seventeenth and eighteenth century productions with maps by Nicolas Sanson, Nicolas de Fer, and Guillaume DeLisle. John Speed, John Ogliby, Herman Moll, and Aaron and John Arrowsmith are a few of the English cartographers present. And, of course, the American publishers of the nineteenth century, including Henry S. Tanner, Samuel Augustus Mitchell, Thomas G. Bradford, and the many government agencies, abound in the collection as well. In addition to the well known names, the collection includes many of the lesser-known cartographers and publishing houses, resulting in a more balanced collection from a historical perspective.

Two other important areas of strength, though minor, are found in the collection, one within the general focus and the other forming a separate focal point. The first is the reproductions and facsimiles found in the collection. Although limited in number (less than 1/2% of the collection), they do form an important segment of the collection, representing many of the rare maps that are not available for acquisition. One such map is a reproduction of Martin Walseemüller’s 1507 world map, Universalis Cosmographiae, which portrays the first depiction of the Gulf of Mexico and the land that became Texas. To date, the only surviving copy is in the library of the Schloss Wolfegg, Germany.

The second minor segment is represented by the works that fall outside of the general focus of the collection, the specialized nineteenth and early twentieth century maps of the coast, the counties, cities, and thematic productions such as railroad maps. Here, again, there is depth and excellent coverage. Materials produced by the U.S. Coast Surveys are especially good with the entire Gulf Coast and associated harbors depicted in large scale. County and city plans represent another specialized area of strength in the collection. Another area of particular interest are not only specific North Texas municipalities, but also the more detailed views of sections of those cities and towns, such as the c.1903 map of the Rosen Heights real estate development in Fort Worth. The Garrett collection also encompasses a near complete set of maps that have appeared in The National Geographic Magazine from 1896 to the present, including the first, Map of the Valley of the Orinoco River compiled by T. Hayward Gignilliat, 1896.

Pascaerte van Wes Indien, c.1680, by Joannes van Keulen.

The Cartographic Collections of Virginia Garrett are of inestimable value to the Special Collections Division and its users for a number of reasons. First, the collection compliments the division’s already strong cartographic holdings. Mrs. Garrett has, for a number of years, purchased with the division in mind, and, as a result, there are few duplicate holdings between the collections. In addition, she also has collected in the context of the history of the Greater Southwest and, consequently, the collection supports and enhances the division’s other holdings in Texana, Mexicana, and Mexican-American War materials. Furthermore, this current donation, combined with previous atlas and geography gifts, provides the UTA Libraries with a premier map collection focusing on the Gulf of Mexico, Texas with its imperial boundary claims, and the Greater Southwest. The Garrett collection is open and available for research in the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library, located in the Special Collections Division on the sixth floor of UTA’s Central Library.

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