A Visual History

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager, University of British
Columbia Library.

The viewer’s vantage point for this intriguing history is the sky,
looking down on a cartographic outline of Vancouver at a scale of
1:50,000. This outline is the constant structure on which a series of
three reference maps and 14 historical maps is built, forming a cohesive
“atlas-based” history of Vancouver. The principal series of
historical maps covers land use, by decade, from the 1850s to the 1980s.
The reference maps that precede them present the physical geography of
the area, the current residential neighborhoods, and the major streets;
they help the viewer identify locations of interest, which can then be
examined from the historical perspective through the main series of
maps.

But this is not just an atlas. Each decade’s map is flanked by
well-written narrative that identifies major changes since the previous
map and provides details of general interest. This narrative is followed
by a two-page history of the decade, including pictures and biographical
sketches of representative people, photographs, and supplementary charts
and maps. A concluding section of “social maps,” with supporting
graphs and tables, summarizes changes in population distribution by
politics, gender, ethnic heritage, religion, and consumer culture.

Seamlessly combining narrative with visual and cartographic elements,
this publication gives the reader a fresh perspective on Vancouver’s
story, and a strong sense of continuity with the past.