1939 Cane Map of Miami, Florida, issued for the 1940 Orange Bowl

This singular survivor is the 1939-1940 'Orange Bowl' cane map of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida, drawn by Elizabeth H. Baldwin. It is one of only four known cane maps, and by far the rarest, this being the only known example. The map was issued late in 1939 for visitors to Miami attending the Orange Bowl and its adjacent festivities. The map promotes the Orange Bowl Festival (December 28 - January 7), the Football Classic (January 1), and the Peter Pan Pageant (December 30).

A Closer Look

The map measures roughly 13.5 x 20 inches. It is set within a 35-inch walnut cane. The map, which is printed on waxed linen, can be extracted via a tab on the right. Oriented to the east, it depicts Miami in a playful pictorial style emphasizing transportation, businesses, clubs, parks, and local sporting life. A schedule of Orange Bowl and related events appears at right and below the map proper. The map additionally features a promotion for Richard's Department Store, likely the cane map's publisher. The spring mechanism is quite tight and the map difficult to fully extract, but both the map and the cane remain fully intact. The head of the cane could be removed for easier access to the mechanism, but for fear of damaging the integrity of the piece, we have refrained from doing so.

Cane Maps

Cane maps are a rare breed. The earliest published cane-map was issued in 1893 for the Chicago Columbian Exposition. It was a double-sided map showing, on one side, Chicago, and, on the other, the immediate exposition grounds. The company that produced it, Columbia Novelty Company, filed for a patent on cane maps in 1892 and it remained pending when their cane went on sale in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition. We are aware of similar cane maps issued in 1939 for the New York World's Fair (with a map by Tony Sarg), and one manufactured in 1940 by In-A-Cane Display Company of Boston for the American Legion National Convention. The last and final known cane map was also issued in 1839, this time illustrating Miami and Miami Beach for the 1940 Orange Bowl. No other subsequent cane maps are known.

Publication History and Census

This map was published by or on the behalf of Richard's Department Store, Miami, in hopes of capitalizing on visitors attending the 1939-1940 Orange Bowl and related events. The artist is Elizabeth H. Baldwin, but she has proven extremely elusive, and we know nothing of her or any other work she may have produced. This is the only known surviving example.