1970 Varner Lee Pictorial Map of the Old West

This is a c. 1970 Charles Varner Lee Pictorial Map of the Old West. Depicting the entire United States, the piece is apparently an advertisement for the Lee Corporation. The whole is framed by photographs and sketches of the most famous heroes and villains of the Old West and intends for the viewer to draw a connection between them and Henry David Lee, founder of Lee Jeans. H.D. Lee is pictured at bottom center, flanked by Doc Holiday and Bat Masterson. Other portraits feature Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Gen. George Custer, Sitting Bull, Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, Geronimo, Calamity Jane, and Billy the Kid. Larger portraits in the corners capture the Hole in the Wall Gang, led by Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and the Dodge City Peace-Keeping Committee. Some cities are identified, along with rivers and the Great Lakes, but the rest of the map is filled with events, facts, and comically drawn animals. Most are related to the Old West, such as the 'Shootout at the O.K. Corral,' the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point, and, of course, the founding of the H.D. Lee Company. Other captions reference Old Faithful, Lincoln's log cabin, and the Springfield Colt revolver.

Lee Jeans

In 1889, Lee founded the H.D. Lee Mercantile Co. in Salina, Kansas, to promote his invention, denim jeans, which he called 'Lee jeans and coveralls.' This invention would lead to the founding the Lee Jeans brand.

Publication History and Census

This advertisement was created in the 1970s for the Lee Corporation and designed by Charles Varner. This map is not cataloged in OCLC and appears on the private market from time to time.