1835 Lucy Durfee Manuscript Schoolgirl Map of Rhode Island - Americana

This is a beautifully executed schoolgirl map of Rhode Island, drawn in 1835 by Lucy Durfee (conjecturally the daughter of legislator and congressman Job Durfee).

A Closer Look

The map illustrates the State of Rhode Island, divided into counties, and indicating important cities and towns. Like most schoolgirl maps, this is executed on paper with pen, ink, and watercolors. Hills are indicated pictorially, with an elegance modeling the engraved maps of the period. Rivers are carefully drafted and named as well, showing that the mapmaker had good references, which she was following scrupulously. The detail in the north and east parts of the map is markedly sharper than elsewhere, suggesting familiarity. The map is neatly lettered (more so in the larger lettering than in the finer print, admittedly). The present example was treasured from an early date, as indicated by having been mounted on linen for preservation.

The Source

Schoolgirl maps, necessarily, were drawn based on the maps of their respective regions found in popular atlases of their day. While two of the Durfee maps we have surveyed draw from the 1829 Olney A New and Improved School Atlas, that work did not contain a separate Rhode Island map. On the other hand, the 1826 Finley New American Atlas contained a Rhode Island which featured much of the toponymy of this work, and so it seems the best fit - also, Durfee's map of the United States was drawn from the Finley, so both in terms of the source material and availability it is the best candidate.

Identifying the Author

We acquired this along with three other maps (the United States, Rhode Island, and Europe), two of which are signed by Lucy Durfee. Since such 'schoolgirl maps' were student works of young women virtually all destined for marriage and motherhood, it is difficult be completely certain of the identity of its young author. We do find a Lucy Durfee (1821 - 1890), who represents a compelling possibility. She was the eldest daughter of a Rhode Island lawyer, lawmaker, and congressman with a literary bent. His household would certainly have had the resources clearly available to the author of this map, and such an individual can be expected to have educated his daughter as a Federalist citizen and mother of the next generation of engaged and patriotic Americans.

Schoolgirl Maps

While the use of mapmaking in teaching is first seen in Europe, mainly England, the Schoolgirl Map became a peculiarly American pedagogical tool in the first part of the 19th century, a period in which standards and purposes in women's education were changing. While boys were frequently taught the practical execution of surveys and charts, the production of attractive and informative maps was primarily the domain of young women. Such maps can be found of the World, the United States, or individual states. These were based on generally available reference maps, such as those found in the atlases produced by Carey and Lea, Finley, and Mitchell.

Goals

The goals of these exercises were more far-reaching than geography. Girls learned penmanship, each map often using three or more lettering styles. Mapmaking further sharpened the retention and recall of factual information. Students were encouraged to take pains in their draftsmanship, often achieving beautiful artistic flourishes. But most peculiar to the American iterations of educational mapping was the goal of instilling a sense of civic pride and responsibility. Indeed, the desired result of girls' education in the post-Revolutionary United States was to prepare for the education of the next generation of American citizens, a patriotic duty that would primarily fall on the shoulders of these young women.

Publication History and Other Examples

For a good overview, see Betty Mason's '19th Century Schoolgirls Were Incredibly Good at Drawing Maps.' Published July 27, 2016, by National Geographic.