Maps

An Art Deco map of Peking published by the Peiyang Press in the 1930s in Peking. The map was drawn by the artist John Kirk Sewall. A delightfully decorative and humorous map of Peking showing the major buildings and temples within and without the walled city, which are named in both English and Chinese. Silhouettes of many characters are shown, including men leading camel trains, men pushing wheelbarrows, men pulling rickshaws, musicians, acrobats, farmers,and street vendors. The walled city is divided into two, the Tartar City depicted on a yellow ground and the Chinese City on a sky blue ground.

Germany annexed Austria in 1938 and in this the second state of the map it is entitled Peking. Both the German and Austrian legations are represented by a Nazi swastika. The earlier first state of the map c1930 is entitled Peiping.

John Kirk Sewall (fl. c. 1928 – 1949) was an American illustrator active in China in the 1930s.  The Peiyang Press (fl. c. 1928 – 1949) was a Chinese publisher active in Tientsin (Tianjin) and Peking (Beijing) before and during World War II. The press focused on books and maps for the western traveler in China.