1967 Terré 'Hobbit's-Eye' Pictorial Map of Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco

A charming 1867 Nathan Terré 'Summer of Love' pictorial map of special interest to J. R. R. Tolkien fans. Issued by the Middle Earth Clothing Company, this 'Hobbit's Eye View' of Haight-Ashbury covers from Golden Gate Park to Masonic Street and from Haight Street to Frederick Street, including Beulah, Waller, Stanyan, Shrader, Cole, Clayton, and 'Ashberry' streets. The exotic fruits dramatic mountains are allusions to Barbara Remington’s cover art for the first authorized paperback Ballantine Press edition of The Lord of the Rings.

The Summer of Love and Haight-Ashbury

Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, was the nexus of American hippy culture in the late 60s. According to a definition found on another map of the period,

… a 'hippie' is a member of the 'Now' culture [and] believes in individuality, in immediacy, and in togetherness and love, but most of all in the senses.

Also called Flower Children, hippies were suspicious of the government, rejected consumerist values, and opposed war. The hippie movement reached its peak in the summer of 1967, called the Summer of Love, when over 100,000 people congregated in San Francisco around the intersection of Haight Street and Ashbury. The small neighborhood could not handle the massive influx. Overcrowding, hunger, drug problems, homelessness, and crime rose precipitously. By the fall of 1867, hippies began to filter out of the neighborhood. Those that remained even held a mock funeral declaring 'The Death of the Hippie'.

Middle Earth Clothing

We know little of the Middle Earth Clothing Company. Per the advertisement, it was located at 852 Stanyan Street. The company sold 'custom made shirts and dresses' and 'wide wale cords.' There were at least two locations, one on Stanyan Street, and another on Grant Avenue. The company went out of business around 1970. Eventually the Grant Avenue location was replaced with a Chinese beauty salon. In 2013, the beauty salon awning was removed and well preserved the beautifully hand painted sign for the Middle Earth Clothing Company was again brought to light.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by the San Francisco artist Nathan Terré. There appear to have been at least two editions, which are identical save for color scheme.