1951 Liozu Pictorial Map of Ile-de-France, with Paris

This colorful pictorial map of Ile-de-France, including Paris, was drawn by Jacques Liozu in 1951.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes Ile-de-France, the most populous région of France, including its constituent départements. Ile-de-France is dominated by Paris and surrounding towns, which at this time (the early postwar period) were in the process of being absorbed into the metropolis. Some of these, especially to the west of Paris, such as Saint-Germain (en-Laye) and Versailles, are posh suburbs, while others, especially to the north of Paris, such as St. Denis, are low-income banlieues (outside the arrondissements of Paris proper), rapidly constructed after the war and mostly housing working-class immigrants and their descendants.

In the départements around Paris, illustrations refer to churches, local landmarks (including palaces of the French crown and nobility), historical figures (such as heroine Jeanne Hachette in Beauvais), writers (Jean Racine and Jean de La Fontaine), and artists (the Barbizon School). Pastoral scenes of farm animals and peasants also appear in the countryside. Rivers are traced in solid grey lines and labeled, while major roads are also marked, with major cities to which they travel noted. The borders of départements are outlined with dashed lines, while the names of neighboring régions are written in ornate script.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by artist Jacques Lizou as part of a series on the provinces of France, printed by Odé Paris in 1951. Aside from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, the map does not appear in any institutional catalogs and is scarce to the market.