1960s UNICEF: A New World for Children
DESCRIPTION
This striking pictorial map titled “UNICEF: A New World for Children” was created by Italian artist Nicola Simbari in an effort to visualize the global reach of the United Nations Children’s Fund. Designed with both artistic flair and humanitarian purpose, the map uses rich, symbolic imagery to convey UNICEF’s mission: providing aid and support to children across the world.
The map invites viewers to see the planet through the lens of compassion, development, and hope, underscoring the organization's work in health, nutrition, and maternal care. Rendered in vivid colors and bold brushwork, the map replaces conventional geographic detail with expressive illustrations. The continents are filled with stylized depictions of people, animals, traditional structures, and transportation, blending cultural diversity with global challenges.
Scattered across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are icons representing the focus of UNICEF’s work: syringes for disease prevention, stalks of grain for hunger relief, and mothers with children for maternal care. These symbols are keyed in a legend at the bottom, which explains the visual language of the map. Ships, wildlife, native dress, and folkloric scenes fill out the rest of the composition, creating a rich mosaic of life around the globe and the varied contexts in which UNICEF operates.
Published sometime in the early 1960s, this map reflects UNICEF’s mid-20th century push to raise public awareness about international child welfare. This poster, like many produced by UN-affiliated programs during the postwar era, combines educational outreach with evocative modern art, emphasizing global solidarity in the face of disease, malnutrition, and lack of medical care.
CONDITION
1200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622