1911 Tampa Land Co. Map of Tampa SE: Palm River-Clair Mel, Riverview

This is a one of a kind 1911 cyanotype or blueprint map of Palm River-Clair Mel, Progress Village, Riverview, southeast of Tampa, Florida. While somewhat confusingly titled 'South Tampa', the map in effect covers the lands between the Palm River and the Alafia River, from Hillsborough Bay to Riverview, including Palm River-Clair Mel, Progress Village, Riverview, and 'East Tampa.' It was compiled by H.R. Knight, an engineer working with the Tampa Bay Land Company in the early 20th century. Since this may is a cyanotype, which is limited to tiny production numbers, we can surmise that it is a working plan used by Tampa Bay Land Company engineers to actively plan infrastructure and development, not a mass-produced sales tool. Some lots are highlighted in colored manuscript for unclear reasons.

Tampa Bay Land Company

The Tampa Bay Land Company was charted in Florida around 1906, and by 1910 was a major force driving the development of Tampa's surrounding communities. The firm prospered by leveraging interest in Florida's timber and agricultural resources to ride the 1910-1925 Florida land boom. The firm had two major areas of development, Keystone Park, and, as here, what it called 'South Tampa, the only city-suburban colony in Florida'. 'South Tampa' was offered for sale from December of 1909. A pamphlet issued by the Tampa Bay Land Company at that time advertises, … today crops are growing on more than two score plats of ground, chicken ranches have been established, the tract is dotted with homes in cottage and bungalow style, and the proposition looks prosperous from every standpoint. In the subsequent years, the Land Company built roads, sold lots, planned parks, and set aside land for major public transit projects. None of these big plans would reach ultimate fruition. The Tampa Bay Land Company began its decline in the late 1920s, when the Great Depression and the collapse of the Florida real estate bubble pushed it into insolvency.

Cyanotype: Why so Blue?

Cyanotype is a photo-reprographic technique developed in 1842 by the British astronomer John Herschel (1792 - 1871). Sometimes called a 'sunprint', the technique employs a solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide, which painted on white paper or cloth, reacts when exposed to sunlight to dye the object a brilliant blue. Areas blocked from ultraviolet exposure remain undyed and white. Herschel developed the technique to reproduce his astronomical notes, but others quickly realized that any object capable of blocking light could be used to quickly and easily create a cyanotype image. By the late 19th century the process became popular with designers, military, architects, and engineers (blueprints), who used the cheap an effective technique to quickly and exactly reproduce images in the field. Cyanotyping is limited in that only a single copy can be made at one time, so it was only practical for short-term field work. It is also of note that cyanotypes remain extremely reactive to light and, over time, fade or degrade, making them extremely ephemeral. The process fell out of fashion in most places by the 1920s, but remains in use in some parts of the world, such as India and Nepal, to this day.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Harry R. Knight for the Tampa Bay Land Company. The present map is the only known surviving example.