1959 Editrice La Scuola Pictorial Children's World Map

A charming large-format 1959 world map with illustrations of children representing the world's nations that appeared in La Scuola Italiana Moderna. Influenced by the context of the Cold War and decolonization, it promotes a message of world peace with the title 'All the world's children are brothers.'

A Closer Look

A world map employing a truncated Mercator projection sits at top-center. It is notable for its careful documentation of islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and its reflection of the state of decolonization, particularly in Africa, at the time of publication. China is conspicuously labeled as 'Rep. China,' likely resulting from the fact that Italy did not recognize the People's Republic at this time (similarly, the Chinese child at right holds the ROC flag rather than the PRC's 'five-star' flag).

Surrounding the map, children of various nations dressed in traditional outfits hold their respective flags. The countries of Europe are especially well-represented, but children from every continent make an appearance. At bottom, illustrations represent landmarks and landscapes around the world.

Publication History and Census

This map appeared as an addendum to the magazine La Scuola Italiana Moderna in October 1959. No artist is indicated, but it is noted as being published by Editrice La Scuola. The map does not appear to be held in any institutional collections and has no known history on the market, while La Scuola Italiana Moderna in its entirety is cataloged in the OCLC among a handful of universities in Italy.