MAPS
Since the beginning of time maps have always been used. Weather it was to map out a new found country of to map out hunting explorations by the cave men. Maps have been found to be dated back to the time of the cave men. They would draw symbols on the cave walls to map out their hunting explorations. These maps of course would be VERY hard to collect.
Maps are a field like no other and each type of map has its own distinctive style. The maps of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries have an aesthetic quality like no other. The cartographer (map marker) usually used a lot of decorative features around the maps to set off the geographical information.
It seems that the titles of the map, year and cartographer name were decorated just as much as the map itself. Many other secondary cartouches (drawings and decorations) such as sea monsters, ships and boats compasses and highly decorative borders.
Once the wood-block style ended around 1575 copper plate engraving became the way of publishing maps. The copper plate was engraved with very fine pointed tools leaving small dot size marks which when printed a dot like stipple effect. As each decade passed the maps especially ships became more and more decorative.
Abraham Ortelius published a style in Amsterdam Holland called "Stipple Engraving" which lasted over 200 years.
Steel plate engraving started as early as 1830 but did not become popular until the 1950's. As this style of maps became popular the other fine engraved decorative vignettes began to disappear.
After the great depression in the 1940's maps started to strictly show road routes. In the early 1950's maps began to be commercialized especially for gas station companies. Food companies also jumped on board like Scott's Chicken Villas (now KFC) and soft drink companies like coke, Pepsi and local bottling companies.
Now and days there are many different companies producing maps in different styles and ways. One of the newest styles of maps are characters maps and business locations. Most of these maps are laminated so they will be around for many years.
So for your road trip don't forget to pack a lunch, grab your map and head on over to your favorite antique mall.
Blue Mountain Pottery
-Just because it looks like it doesn't mean it is!
The pottery style of Blue Mountain Pottery - loved by so many, is one of many similar pieces of art. Always remember to check under your pottery for company specific markings.Many years ago there was a company called Georgian Triangle Pottery that produced pottery virtually identical to that of Blue Mountain.There are several others to watch out for on your search for Blue Mountain: Canadian Pottery, Evangelin, Danes, McMaster, M.L.P., Original Canada, American Art Pottery, Quebec Art Pottery, Hamilton Art Pottery, and most likely several others. If you were to line up all of these producers of this fabulous art pottery and look at the colour of the clay on the bottom, only a slight difference in the reddish tone would be evident.
Remember, the authentic Blue Mountain Pottery has company specific markings on the bottom including: 3 triangles in the shape of an evergreen tree, the letters B.M.P, "Blue Mountain Pottery", or just an identification sticker that reads "Blue Mountain Pottery".However, there is an exception to every rule, if your item has no markings do not fret just yet.Many Blue Mountain items did manage to make it out of the factory without being properly marked.