Coca-Cola conquers the world
Boris Artzybasheff is known for his surreal illustrations in popular American magazines. This drawing on the cover of Time Magazine, showing Coca-Cola giving a happy baby globe its bottle, accompanies an article about the marketing strategy this ‘company’ uses to conquer the world. Coke bottlers travelled with the US armies during World War II to bring their brand and flavour to the attention of millions of unsuspecting consumers. The model salesman now no longer focuses solely on making a profit. Henceforth, as a scout, diplomat and movie star all in one, it was about making new friends with his product: “A man feels best when he makes others happy.” In May 1950, some 50 million bottles of cola were consumed daily. This gripping example underlines that modern US imperialism not only presupposes a capitalist system, but is equally based on the spread of the ‘American way of life’.
B. Artzybasheff, World & Friend, Love that piaster, that lira, that tickey, and that American way of life, in: Time Magazine May 15, 1950. Coll. S/T W.9.74, 28.5 x 21.5 cm.
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1. Moral and Political Chart
From savages to enlighten This moral and political map is often reprinted from 1821 onwards, including in the School Atlas by Woodbridge and unnamed co-author Emma Willard. Geographically for schoolchildren and the general public, the atlas depicts Western superiority through a modern approach to the process of civilisation. The development from savages, through barbarians, semi-civilised…
2. Menschen-Rassen
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3. Mission Print Map
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4. Coast of Guinea
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5. Western Coast of Africa
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6. Karte von Central Afrika
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7a,b. The Colonization of Africa
Slave trade and colonisation Harry Johnston, an explorer and colonial administrator, was fluent in several African languages and wielded significant influence over British colonial policy. In the ‘British Central African Protectorate,’ he led battles against Muslim Swahili and Yao slave traders. His first map delineates the slave traders’ ‘hunting grounds,’ distinguishing them through light and…
8. Bulletin de la Societé
Leopold’s reign of terror in Congo In 1885, the Berlin Conference designated Congo Free State (an area 76 times the size of Belgium!) as the personal possession of King Leopold II. The map uses colours to divide the country into various concession areas. Private companies exploit raw materials here, especially rubber for the transport industry,…
9. The History of Java
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10. Occupied in Greater Aceh
Netherlands’ bloodiest colonial war Cartographer Thomson became an infantry first lieutenant in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) in 1894. At that time, the Dutch had been embroiled in their bloodiest colonial conflict in the Sultanate of Aceh for decades. During his tenure as a member of parliament in 1906, Thomson criticised what he…
11. East Coast of Sumatra
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12. Map of Java
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13. With blood and sweat
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14. Oesterreichischen Monarchie
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15. Reichshaupt- und Residenzstadt
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16.’Well-preserved Imperial Lands’
Map of the Greater Ottoman Empire This map of the Ottoman Empire depicts a vast empire spanning three continents, but there are some notable issues with its red outer borders: Bosnia-Herzegovina is still depicted as part of the Ottoman Empire, despite being occupied since 1878 and annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. Bulgaria is shown as…
17. Map of Istanbul
Istanbul and the Bosphorus This rare staff map is, as the colophon states in Ottoman-Turkish, from the Printing Office of the United Chiefs of Staff. Only late in the 19th century did the Ottoman army adopt map techniques from France and Germany, including the standard 1:50,000 scale (1cm on the map is 500m on the…
18a,b. British Empire
The British Empire under George V During the 19th century, the rose-red British Empire was characterised by its pursuit of raw materials for industry and the creation of markets for its manufactured goods. Congruently, it also required the establishment of strategic naval bases and supply stations around the world. This map reflects the belief in…
19. Indian railways
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20. European Russia and Siberia
European Russia and Siberia This hand-painted ‘map of European Russia and Siberia’ with inset map ‘Asian Russia’ depicts the administrative division of the tsarist empire into various governorates and their respective provinces. This modern map provides detailed information on areas, population figures, and distances. The Russian Empire was characterised by its multilingual and multi-religious composition;…
21. Ukraine Holodomor
Four million starvation deaths in Ukraine On the largest map, innumerable blue markers indicate the memorials and monuments erected to commemorate the victims of Holodomor, the devastating genocide by starvation that occurred in 1932-’33. Over five million people perished, four million in Ukraine alone. The yellow crosses refer to the few pre-1990 memorial plaques.
22. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
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23. Indian Reservations
‘Kill the Indian, save the man‘ This map illustrates the remaining tribal areas of Native Americans following a devastating history of epidemics, conflicts, and ethnic cleansing during the era of westward expansion in the United States. Aside from the remaining reservations, the map also highlights the 22 boarding schools for Native American children, denoted by…
25. Flächentreuer Projektion
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26. Repression and resistance
Oppression and resistance in South Africa This map is part of the Komitee Southern Africa’s (KZA) educational folder titled ‘This is Apartheid.’ Apartheid was a system that enforced racial segregation, separating people into categories such as Bantus, Coloureds, Asians, and Whites. Black people residing in ‘white areas’ – even if their families had lived there…
27. Shi jie di shi tu
Bipolar Chinese world map This vertical world map puts Europe as an appendage of Asia. North America is upside down and cut off from South America, and Africa is eccentric. Here, the ‘Middle Kingdom’ and the Indian Ocean take centre stage. Indeed, around this is the focus of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, the largest…
28. Mongolkure Camp
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