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1965 Loftin Snell City Plan or Map of Washington, D.C. in 1865
StrangersGuide-loftin-1965$87.50
Title
Stranger's Guide to Mr. Johnson's Washington - Summer 1865. The City that Mr. Lincoln Knew.
1965 (dated) 12.125 x 21.25 in (30.7975 x 53.975 cm)
1965 (dated) 12.125 x 21.25 in (30.7975 x 53.975 cm)
Description
This is a 1965 T. Loftin Snell pictorial map of Washington, D.C. as it was in 1865. Harkening back to the era of President Abraham Lincoln (in fact the map is subtitled 'The City that Mr. Lincoln Knew'), vignettes illustrate landmarks throughout. Snell differentiates between buildings that survived to 1965 (black) and buildings long since disappeared (blue). Among the buildings still standing are Washington Monument (only about one-fourth finished in 1865) and the Smithsonian Castle (here referred to simply as 'Smithsonian Museum'). A note above the Castle states the roof was being repaired in April/May 1865 after a fire the previous January.
Other Surviving Structures
Other buildings surviving from Lincoln's era include the White House, Ford's Theatre (where Lincoln was assassinated by Booth), the Peterson House (where Lincoln died), City Hall, and the Capitol Building. The Soldier's National Cemetery and Lee's Mansion (both now part of Arlington National Cemetery) are marked just across the Potomac, with an illustration stating that wartime hospital tents were set up in the mansion's yard. Other buildings evocative of the American Civil War (1861 - 1865) appear throughout. The D.C. Armory and War Hospitals are situated between the Smithsonian and the Canal, while a 'wartime slaughterhouse' appears near the Washington Monument.A President's Open Office Hours
A detail that is incomprehensible to a modern audience appears in the lower right corner. The first stop on the proposed itinerary entitled 'Where to See' states 'Pres. Johnson - White House, after May. Persons with business admitted 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. some weekdays. Please confine conversation to 2 minutes'.Publication History and Census
This map was created by T. Loftin Snell and published on June 20, 1965 in 'Potomac', a weekly magazine published by The Washington Post. The only other known surviving example is cataloged in OCLC and is part of the collection at the Library of Congress.Cartographer
Thelma Lois Loftin (January 27, 1922 - December 21, 2003) (also known as T. Loftin Snell) was an American journalist, writer, and cartographer. Born in Kinston, North Carolina, Loftin received a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri in 1942 and a Master's Degree in Journalism from American University in 1965. She began her career as a writer for a radio station in Brownwood, Texas, and then for a station in St. Louis, Illinois. She moved to Washington, D.C., with her then-husband Edwin M. Snell, in 1947, where her first job was as the Washignton correspondent for the Kinston Daily Free Press. While in Washington she also worked as the Press Assistant for COngressman Charles R. Jonas of North Carolina and as the Editor of for the National Academy of Engineering. She worked in television in the 1960s, including with the quiz show 'It's Academic' and originated the children's television show 'Claire and Coco' which ran from 1965 until 1969. After receiving a tip from a friend, Loftin began working for the National Geographic Society as a researcher / fact checker, and by the 1970s had risen to the position of Staff Writer in National Geographic's Special Publications Division. She traveled the world on assignments from National Geographic, authored The Wild Shores: America's Beginning, and penned chapters for about a dozen other books published by the National Geographic Society. She retired from National Geographic in 1987. Loftin moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1992. She married Edwin M. Snell in 1944, with whom she had two children. She and Snell divorced in 1976. More by this mapmaker...
Source
Potomac (Magazine) The Washington Post June 20, 1965.
Condition
Very good. Newsprint. Exhibits light wear along original fold lines. Text and advertisements on verso.
References
OCLC 16086693.