Throughout the 19th century, cartography was often used to promote sobriety. Here’s a counter-example: a map that celebrates alcohol, in various guises—published two years before the end of Prohibition. The Temperance movement, which from the early 1800s sought to reduce the consumption of alcohol in the U.S., had a curious affinity for cartography. It produced numerous ‘Temperance maps’, so called because they used fictional topographies to warn against the wickedness of drinking and promote the benefits of sobriety. Why maps? Perhaps because they were the perfect allegory for a country…
