1885 J. Schedler's Relief Map of the United States
By: Joseph Schedler
Date: 1885 (dated) Jersey City Heights, NJ
Dimensions: 11.5 x 14.5 inches (29.2 x 36.8 cm)
This is a superb pressed cardboard raised relief map of the United States laid in a contemporary 19th century wood frame. The work is quite rare with worldcat citing just one other example held in the United States Library of Congress.
The map is brown (land) and olive green (sea) with faint dashed lines to delineate state borders. The Appalachian, Rocky, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Mountains rise sharply from the lower altitude portions of the map. The Colorado plateau which steadily rises from the Mississippi to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is also represented with a subtle raise of the map. Additionally, a small inset relief map of the Territory of Alaska resides in the lower left corner.
Joseph Schedler (1813 - 1887) was a German who immigrated to the United States fleeing the German Revolution of 1848-49. He settled in New York where he found work as an engraver, lithographer, printer, and a globe maker with which he became very successful, winning prizes in a number of international exhibitions. Sometime in the 1870s he moved to Jersey City Heights where this piece was produced.
Condition: This map is in B+ condition, darkened with age though still quite beautiful. The raised mountainous regions show the most ware, which is common for any relief map. The frame is held together with old nails and includes an loop at the top for hanging.
Inventory #12032
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