Georgia/ Savannah Art History.  TRAVIS, Mrs. Robert J. (compiler)/ MURPHY, JR. Christopher (artist) [Georgia Daughters of the American Revolution: undated but 1938] Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Map of Georgia. 30 ½ x 22 inches. Color process print with hand-colored highlights, printed on brown-toned paper.  Recently professionally cleaned and deacidified, with only light toning & wear, else excellent condition.

An attractively illustrated, historical, pictorial map of Georgia compiled by the Georgia chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.)  Its many illustrations were by the eminent Savannah artist Christopher Murphy, Jr., known for his etchings of historic architecture.  We have found only one previous example on the market; it is not recorded in either oldmaps.com or rarebookhub.com.

The map contains an exceptionally wide range of historic information regarding military actions large and small, notable incidents, early explorations and trade routes, the locations of forts and other important historical sites, and much more.  Perhaps of greater interest, it also contains a wealth of more obscure factoids: in northern Georgia “20,000 acres to Count d’Estaing For Services in Revolution;” in northeast Georgia (present day Hartwell)—a place curiously called the “Center Of The World”—which the area apparently was to the Cherokees; and many others of this nature.  Also of considerable interest, the map is rich in Native American historic details that include treaty demarcations, the homes of chiefs, battle sites, and trade routes.  On the other hand, the map is quite reticent regarding Civil War actions.    It also shows the six capitals that Georgia had throughout its history.  Historic sites that have D.A.R. markers are indicated with a Maltese Crosses. The names of prominent Georgians fill the maps printed border.

The map is surrounded by 20 illustrations of historical structures and sites by the prominent Savannah artist, Christopher Murphy, Jr. (1902-1973).   Illustrations are also scattered throughout the map itself.  Murphy worked in painting, etching, lithography and design.  He was the son of two accomplished artists, and he studied in the 1920s at the Art Students League in New York City and trained in architecture under Lloyd Warren at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York. In 1925 he received a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship. His etchings and portraits won awards, and his work was exhibited widely, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and others. Murphy is primarily associated with Savannah, capturing its distinctive architecture and daily life on its streets and waterfront throughout his life. His more than 250 etchings include those of deserted plantations and the rural areas surrounding Savannah.  According to The New Georgia Encyclopedia, his book of architectural etchings produced in 1947 with a local historian, “helped initiate massive restoration efforts in historic downtown Savannah.” Murphy was a founding member of the Association of Georgia Artists and a member of the Savannah Art Club.

“Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Map of Georgia, Identifier MPS-057,” Augusta University Reese Library Archives; https://aspace augusta.galileo.usg.edu/repositories/2/resources/600 (15 July 2024); Gilbert, Dorothy B., ed. Who’s Who in American Art. New York: American Federation of Arts and R.R. Bowker, 1959. p. 413; Klacsmann, Karen. “Christopher Murphy Jr.” New Georgia Encyclopedia; 2 January 2020; https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/christopher-murphy-jr-1902-1973/ (7 July 2024).

Price: $3,750.00