1946 Friendship Press Pictorial Map of India - PROOF STATE

This is a 1946 Friendship Press pictorial map of India, in a rare incomplete proof state. Predating the Partition of India by one year, the map depicts the region from Iran to Burma and from China and the Soviet Union to Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Profile views of buildings mark certain cities, such as the Taj Mahal, at Agra. Other cities and towns are labeled throughout, including Bombay, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Delhi, Calcutta, and Karachi. Provinces throughout India are illustrated and labeled. Railroads connect almost all of India's major cities. India's natural wonders, the Himalayas, and the Indus and Ganges Rivers are also evident.

Pictorial Border and Proof State

Pictorial vignettes occupy all four corners, and blank panels create the left and right borders. Only two frames contain illustrations. Eighteen circles occupy the space between the border and the map, three in each corner, and six divided between the sides. Each corner focuses on a specific aspect of life in India. From the top left and proceeding clockwise, the corners present illustrations of Indian crops, artisan-made goods, birds (including a peacock and a parakeet), and wildlife (elephants and tigers). The circles along the sides contain scenes of Indian life, including farming, carrying water, making pottery, selling cloth at a bazaar, and working in a factory.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the Friendship Press in 1946. Several editions were published, beginning in 1930, and subsequent editions appeared in at least 1946 and 1963. Curricula for public schools in the 1950s suggested using this map, and other maps published by Friendship Press when teaching elementary students about Asia. All editions of the Friendship Press picture map of India are exceedingly rare, with only one edition, that from 1963, appearing in OCLC. Given the map's scarcity in all editions, plus the fact that the present map is a proof state makes this offering an exceptional opportunity.