The United States of America, created in 1935 by Ruth Taylor White, is a jubilant pictorial survey of a nation in motion, rendered with a storyteller’s eye and a cartographer’s care. Conceived within her celebrated atlas of the era, the map gathers all forty-eight states alongside far-flung territories—Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Philippines—with a companion Caribbean treatment that includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Panama Canal Zone. A lively color palette enlivens the page: a decorative compass rose and nautical vignettes breeze across the southern waters, while ornate cartouches nestle state names. The result is an exuberant panorama where geography, history, and everyday life meet—part cultural scrapbook, part wayfinding instrument, and entirely of its moment.

Ruth Taylor White, a formally trained artist with a keen sense for visual narrative, helped define the American pictorial map during the interwar years. Her work distills civics, folklore, and economic life into a language of emblem and allegory—agriculture becomes pattern, industry becomes icon, and regional character emerges through playful symbolism. These choices mirror the 1930s appetite for engaging, classroom-ready graphics and travel-minded optimism, even amid the shadow of the Great Depression. White’s practiced draftsmanship and editorial wit balance whimsy with instruction, inviting readers to tour a continent where the facts of production, migration, and landscape unfold as an illustrated theater of place.

Across the West, the map teems with resourceful imagery: California’s panel nods to Los Angeles’ star-making allure and fertile groves, while the Pacific Northwest pairs timber and salmon with the cosmopolitan outpost of Seattle. Mountain states rise in jagged ranks, studded with mining and ranching motifs. Texas shows the swagger of derricks and longhorns, with Houston and Austin marked as modern hubs. Midwestern fields ripple with corn and wheat, gathering toward Chicago’s metropolitan might and the Great Lakes’ engine rooms—Detroit foremost among them. The Mississippi threads the heartland as an arterial story line, while to the east New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, and Columbus sit among symbols of finance, invention, and long-settled history, a chain of urban energies linking region to region.

The Atlantic and Gulf fringes are alive with maritime rhythms: a handsome compass rose orients the eye while ships, fish, and breezes annotate the littoral. Florida sparkles with Miami’s resort sheen and citrus promise; coastal fisheries and port towns line the southeastern rim through Georgia and the Carolinas to Virginia Beach. Beyond the mainland, the atlas expands the American orbit—Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and the vital hinge of the Panama Canal Zone, are set within a Caribbean frame that underscores trade routes and strategic passage. Alaska’s wildlife and rugged coasts, Hawaii’s volcanic drama and cane fields, and the South Pacific and Philippine panels speak to the era’s global reach, all gathered within White’s charming, stylized borders.

As a historical artifact, the atlas illuminates the period’s ambitions and blind spots. Its abundance of animals, crops, and regional pastimes forms an exuberant primer on American diversity in the 1930s; yet some imagery—particularly in Tennessee—repeats racial stereotypes now recognized as offensive. Seen critically, the map becomes both a joyous catalog of place and a candid record of contemporary attitudes. Its annotations and pictorial markers capture the social currents that shaped cities from New York City and Chicago to Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Newark, Philadelphia, Columbus, Detroit, Virginia Beach, and Seattle. With deft cartouches, playful borders, and a narrative density that rewards close study, White’s United States remains a vibrant window onto how a nation once saw itself.

Cities and towns on this map

• California: Los Angeles
• Texas: Houston, Austin
• Florida: Miami
• New York: New York City
• Illinois: Chicago
• Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
• Ohio: Columbus
• Michigan: Detroit
• Georgia: Atlanta
• North Carolina: Charlotte
• New Jersey: Newark
• Virginia: Virginia Beach
• Washington: Seattle

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Colorful illustrations for each state showcasing local activities and cultural symbols.
• Illustrative depictions of animals and crops relevant to various states.
• Stylized borders that separate states while integrating whimsical designs.
• Annotated significant landmarks and notable regional markers.
• Decorative compass rose and nautical imagery at the southern part of the map.
• Artistic cartouches that frame state names, enhancing the visual appeal.

Historical and design context

• Created by Ruth Taylor White in 1935; country thematic and pictorial map.
• Whimsical atlas treatment of all 48 states plus territories (Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Philippines) and a Caribbean map including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Panama Canal Zone.
• Artist’s formal training informs an illustrative style that captures 1930s social and cultural nuances.
• Some panels (e.g., Tennessee) reflect racial stereotypes of the era, now considered offensive.
• Serves as both an artistic representation and a record of the United States’ historical and cultural dynamics during the 1930s.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.