The Third Coast Blows into UTA Libraries

By Katherine R. Goodwin and David Buisseret

The recent Virginia Garrett Lectures in the History of Cartography coupled with the joint meeting of the Texas Map Society and the Philip Lee Phillips Society, held on October 4 - 5, 2002, provided a blockbuster weekend for attendees and enhanced the reputation of UTA Libraries as a major source for all things cartographic. The joint meetings were entitled The Third Coast: Mapping the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea,bringing together speakers from across the nation to explore mapmakers and mapping in general and the mapping of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in particular. In addition, attendees were treated to a series of events, receptions, luncheons and dinners.

The Virginia Garrett Lectures in the History of Cartography was established in 1998 as a biennial series to explore topics in cartographic history, publicize the holdings of the library’s map and atlas collections, and encourage research and study in the field. This year’s session is the third i n the series, and explored the cartographic history of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. In particular, the conference looked at ways in which maps and other related imagery have been used to depict the environment, geography, peoples, habitats, and political realms of the region.

Leading the distinguished group of scholars was UTA’s own David Buisseret, the Jenkins and Virginia Garrett Endowed Chair in Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography, who introduced the series topic with his presentation, “The European Mapping of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, 1500-1800.” Buisseret spoke of the first efforts of the Spanish in charting the waters and islands of the area, as well as the early work of the Spanish engineers to depict the towns and cities. The French and English, on the other hand, generated extraordinary large-scale maps of the countryside. Additionally, Buisseret looked at the work of the religious orders on the mainland and the contributions of the native inhabitants, concluding that at the dawn of the twentieth century many areas on both the mainland and islands remained poorly mapped.

J. Barto Arnold, with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University, next delivered a lively talk on the excavation of La Salle’s ship Belle and the Civil War blockade runner Denbigh. Arnold also commented on other known shipwrecks in Texas waters, casting light on nautical conditions of the period that caused the problems encountered by ship captains. Arnold spoke of the ways in which maps are used to guide underwater archaeologists in their search to l ocate sunken ships. After lunch, Louis De Vorsey, Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Georgia, spoke about his experiences in arguing two cases before the United States Supreme Court concerning the precise boundary of the Gulf of Mexico. In both cases, historic maps and charts played a large part in the proceedings, and De Vorsey served as an expert witness.

The afternoon’s proceedings ended with a stimulating panel discussion on the cartography of the Gulf Coast at the time of conflict between the Spaniards and the French during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The panelists, both independent Texan scholars who have written extensively about the Gulf Coast, were Jack Jackson of Austin and Robert Weddle of Bonham. They showed that there had been some collaboration between the contending parties, and clearly demonstrated that the renewed burst of mapmaking owed much to political considerations and international competition. The panel was moderated by Dennis Reinhartz, Professor of History at UTA.

The evening activities began with a reception and the opening of the conference exhibition, “The Third Coast: Mapping the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.” Attendees enjoyed light refreshments and strolled through Special Collections where 82 maps, atlases, and geographies, ranging from 1508 to 1900, were on display. Attendees received a four-color gallery guide to commemorate the event. Following dinner Richard Francaviglia, director of the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography at UTA, presented an intriguing talk entitled “Cannibals and Cartographers: The Role of Supposition in Mapping the Gulf of Mexico.” Francaviglia explored the way maps employ deeply-held myths even as they attempt to depict real places. One of these myths perpetuated by cartography was that cannibalism abounded in the area of the Gulf and Caribbean. However, Francaviglia suggests that cannibalism was actually a metaphor for the fear of explorers disappearing into, or being consumed by, the tropical environment itself. Using dozens of maps and illustrations for the period 1500 to 1800, he demonstrated how the depictions of cannibalism slowly disappeared and were replaced by natural history drawings based on careful observation rather than speculation.

On Saturday the joint meeting of the Texas Map Society and the Philip Lee Phillips Society convened on the sixth floor of the Central Library. The day began with UTA’s own Dennis Reinhartz' talk, “Divided by Empire, United by Tourism: The Tourist Maps of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin,” was in keeping with the weekend’s theme. He spoke of the island’s division between the French and the Dutch and the lack of acknowledgement of this fact on the tourist maps, and how, upon examination. he found the maps to emphasize the business of their sponsors. Of great interest to the crowd were the samples of fabric maps Reinhartz brought to demonstrate his talk.

Departing from the concentration of the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean, Heather Wanser, Senior Paper Conservator at the Library of Congress, offered a remarkably rich summary of the best way to care for maps. She explained the various ways of making paper, explaining that some papers were likely to self-destruct, and that others would be damaged by their adhesion to backings which have different rates of expansion and contraction. She identified and demonstrated a variety of dangerous substances, including light, acid, and insects, but admonished her audience to remember that humidity is the most dangerous of all.

Gregory McIntosh, an independent scholar and author from Cerritos, California, offered a close analysis of the Caribbean Sea as depicted on the Piri Reis map of 1513. He presented evidence of place-names rather than on the more subjective assessment of coastal outlines. He concluded that this famous 1496 map consists of two pieces, rather unsatisfactorily joined together. One of these pieces, he contends, does derive from a map of one of the Columbus brothers as Piri Reis claimed.

The topic at lunch was to work of Herman Grosius, who drew bird’s-eye-views of a number of Texas towns around 1872-3. John Crain, of the Summerlee Foundation of Dallas, Texas, offered an analysis of the work of the Grosius plan of Dallas, concluding that it contained a good deal of fantasy, including phantom railroad lines, factories, and elegant homes. After lunch, Archie McDonald, of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, spoke about Jedediah Hotchkiss, the self-taught cartographer who eventually became staff mapmaker to the Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. In this role, Hotchkiss had an extraordinary talent for the speed and accuracy with which he could set out the topography and mark the positions of the opposing Union forces.

The afternoon program concluded with “Kit’s Kartographic Korner,” which was hosted by UTA’s Cartographic Archivist, Kit Goodwin. The popular session provides a showcase for members and guests to bring to the group a favorite map or atlas. They may ask for information about the item or its mapmaker, point out some aspect that appeals to them, or generally discuss the map with the group. It was informal, and participants were requested to limit their discussion to ten minutes. Many first time attendees brought items to show at this lively session. There were some unusual maps and atlases, including a rare Herman Moll atlas from the 1720s and a modern map of the Antarctic with hand drawn and colored animals.

The highlight of the meeting, however, was when John Hébert, Chief of the Map and Geography Division of the Library of Congress, brought out the facsimile sections of the 1507 world map of Martin Waldseemüller currently at the Library of Congress. Hébert spread the sections out on a large table in Special Collections, and 128 people crowded around to see the $10 million map. The Library of Congress is in the process of purchasing the rare map, which has been called “America’s Birth Certificate” because it contains the first depiction of the New World.

The whirlwind weekend concluded with a special evening at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth. The museum hosted an exhibit of its maps especially for attendees of the lectures and the map societies. A seated dinner followed a reception and tour of the newly remodeled and expanded museum.

The Garrett Lectures and the joint meetings of the Texas Map Society and the Philip Lee Phillips Society were a success! A record number of attendees were attracted to the university to see first-hand the fine collections of the UTA Libraries. The outstanding speakers and array of talks engaged attendees who are encouraged to seek out our institution for research and study.

TIFF

Third Coast Blows into UTA Libraries

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Map of Library locations

Donor List

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Text Only Version

UTA Library Notes, vol 8 no 2 Fall 2002