Dr. Robert Batchelor discovers the first color-printed map in history…

August 1, 2023

Prof. Robert Batchelor recently discovered the first color-printed map in history! It’s a map of Guangdong province from the 1730’s–Pearl River Delta where Canton was (Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou today, probably the most urbanized region on earth). It’s held by the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, and another copy was in the Ann and Gordon Getty collection, auctioned last year. Dr. Batchelor will be presenting his initial findings at a virtual conference on September 26 entitled “Artful maps: exploring the visual culture of cartography” hosted by the Bodleian Library