Deconstructing   Persuasive  Cartography

PJ Mode ’60 has spent more than 35 years collecting persuasive cartography: maps intended primarily to influence opinions or beliefs rather than to communicate geographic information. The hundreds of maps in his collection span five centuries and reflect a variety of persuasive tools: allegorical, satirical and pictorial mapping; selective inclusion or exclusion; unusual use of projections, color, graphics and text; and intentional deception. The maps address a wide range of messages: religious, political, military, commercial, moral and social. PJ is donating his collection to Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections.