1970 Varner Lee Pictorial Map of the Old West

This c. 1970 Lee Pictorial Map of the Old West depicts the entire United States. This map is apparently an advertisement for the Lee Corporation drawn by graphic artist Charles Varner. The map of the United States 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 Jeens. In 1889, Lee founded the H.D. Lee Mercantile Co. in Salina, Kansas, promoting his invention, denim jeans, called 'Lee jeans and coveralls.' This invention would lead to the founding the Lee Jeans brand. H.D. Lee is pictured at the bottom of the map at center, flanked by Doc Holiday and Bat Masterson. Other figures included in the portraits along the border are Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Gen. George Custer, Sitting Bull, Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, Geronimo, Calamity Jane, and Billy the Kid. There are larger portraits on the corners, which include the Hole in the Wall Gang, led by Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and the Dodge City Peace-Keeping Committee. There are certain cities marked in the continental United States, along with rivers and the Great Lakes. The rest of the map is filled with events, facts, and comically drawn animals. Most of these events 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.

This advertisement was created in the 1970s for the Lee Corporation and designed by Charles Varner.