Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Journeys to the centre of the earth
In the late 1920s Britain still saw herself as the centre of a vast empire of countries intercon-
nected by strong links of trade and communications, as shown by this map-poster. 'Highways
of Empire' was not a map to navigate by, nor an example of precision cartography, but a piece
of pure propaganda produced for the Empire Marketing Board. The Board was set up under
the Dominions Office in May 1926 to encourage people in Britain to buy Empire produce,
particularly foodstuffs. The assumption was that such sales would increase the purchasing
power of British colonies, increasing exports of British manufactured goods.
A major poster campaign was envisaged as a key element in this marketing strategy. It was
decided to launch the campaign with a special map which would emphasise Britain's role as
the hub of the Empire. Files in The National Archives show how the Posters Subcommit-
tee realised that a map displayed on a 48-sheet poster measuring 20 feet by 10 feet would
only magnify the distortions inherent in the usual Mercator's projection on which most world
maps were made. The Committee sketched an idea for a completely new projection for this
