-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [Fwd: dating a map by G.W. Bacon & Co.]
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 15:09:20 -0000
From: [log in to unmask]


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Nancy:

Some of us have only half a clue!  For example, we all know (don't we?) that
the London postal districts were *numbered* from March 1917 (although this
doesn't help you in this particular case).  The Bacon firm seems to have
been at Norwich Street, Fetter Lane, from 1920 until certain 'fiery
messengers from the sky' descended upon it in 1941.  My (purely temporarily
tentative) working theory would suggest that the date-code commencing with
'M' *might* indicate the year 1936.  Or a couple of years previous.  My
accumulating MS notes on this species of Bacon date-codes shows that 'M' was
the last letter of the alphabet to be employed.

One might well have to fall back on the evidence depicted on the map: our
usual way here is to date the state of the London Underground network
information (e.g. extensions of the rail lines, and station name additions
and/or changes) for which ample info is available (maybe hard copy only).
Obviously this was crucial to 'sell' the map as a useful 'must have'.  Less
useful - but not to be overlooked - is the separate text pages (if this item
has such?) which give population figures from the latest decennial census
[1921 or 1931?], any new General Post Office building, construction and
unveiling of The Cenotaph in Whitehall, moving of The London Museum, etc.
Does the NYPL copy have the bound-in 'Strangers Guide to London' for
example?

For what it's worth: the British online 'union catalog' of map catalog
records - 'COPAC' - cites a half-dozen states of a "Bacon's gem map of
London and suburbs,"  In one collection (Trinity College, Dublin) two copies
are recorded with "[s.n.], [s.d.]"; and one of these "Document type:
Fiction"!

If I have a personal copy of this item at home I'll take a look.

Francis Herbert (Curator Maps, RGS-IBG)
[log in to unmask] ; http://www.rgs.org [see 'Collections'/'Unlocking the
Archives']


-----Original Message-----
From: Johnnie D. Sutherland [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 29 January 2004 19:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Fwd: dating a map by G.W. Bacon & Co.]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: dating a map by G.W. Bacon & Co.
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 11:45:47 -0500
From: nkandoian <[log in to unmask]>


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Does anyone have a clue about how to date maps published by G.W. Bacon &
Co., London?  I didn't see anything about that publisher in the handy WAML
toolbox info about date coding.  I have a map, "Bacon's gem map of London
and suburbs," (a title which the publisher seemed to use from at least
early in the 20th century) with the code "M-1722" on it, and it seems like
it might be from the mid-20th century.  The address of G.W. Bacon & Co. at
that time is given as Norwich St., Fetter Lane, London E.C.4, and the price
of the map is 9d.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Nancy A. Kandoian
Map Division, Rm. 117
New York Public Library
5th Avenue & 42nd Street
New York, NY  10018-2788

[log in to unmask]; 212-930-0586; fax 212-930-0027