1980 Seattle
DESCRIPTION
An exuberant pictorial celebration of Seattle, this colorful map captures the city and its surroundings through hundreds of whimsical illustrations, local landmarks, businesses, attractions, and inside jokes. Produced by Marketing Concepts Unlimited of Seattle and copyrighted in 1980, it presents a remarkably detailed snapshot of the city at the dawn of a transformative decade.
The downtown skyline rises at the center of the composition, surrounded by iconic landmarks including the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, the University of Washington, and the Kingdome. Ferries cross Elliott Bay, cargo ships crowd the waterfront, and floatplanes, sailboats, and wildlife animate the waterways. Beyond the city, the artist extends the scene to encompass Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, Lake Washington, and the Cascade Range, creating a panoramic portrait of the broader region rather than merely a map of the city itself.
Particularly notable is the inclusion of Mount St. Helens erupting in the upper right corner, a timely reference to the volcano's catastrophic eruption of May 18, 1980. Together with dozens of now-vanished businesses, contemporary landmarks, and local institutions, the map serves as both an entertaining work of graphic art and a valuable time capsule preserving Seattle at a pivotal moment in its modern history.
CONDITION
1200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622