FROM THE NEST | FALL 2023 | 11 important facet of our educational mission,” said Nadav-Manes. “We thank Duncan Payne and his daughter Eliane for endowing the Lehigh Libraries with this beautiful gift, which will serve our researchers for centuries to come.” The thick atlases feature colorful maps on heavy, linen-blended pages. Despite being more than 400 years old, they are still vibrant. Printed maps began appearing at the end of the 15th century and became more prominent in the mid-16th century, when printing presses became more widespread. During this time, the Dutch were the renowned map makers, said Dotson, who inherited her father’s expertise and love of maps. The process of making a map involved many steps: The map was engraved onto a copper plate, which was inked and pressed onto paper made of cotton or linen rags; the coloring was applied by hand. Most maps were compiled into atlases for the very wealthy. Because the process was time-intensive, colored maps and atlases were usually reserved for custom orders, Dotson said. Maps had symbols and decorative elements. Sea monsters were often pictured as a way to warn travelers of rough waters or because the mapmaker didn’t want a competitor to discover what might be there. Though detailed, the maps were sometimes inaccurate, Dotson said. Early mapmakers did not have the best survey tools, and there were language barriers when talking to indigenous people. Because the French, Dutch, Italians and Spaniards sent explorers to conquer new land for their own countries, they were secretive about information they gathered. It wasn’t until the 1800s, when education was more prevalent and print-making was less expensive, that maps became accessible to the masses, Dotson said. The maps Payne donated have been used by students studying Spanish, history, English and graphic arts. Students can determine accuracy or learn how places changed over time. On a map of London from “Cities of the World” by Braun & Hogenberg dating to 1575, the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare performed, is labeled “bear fighting pit.” A map of Paris from the same time shows the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral. Leaving a Legacy Payne inherited his parents’ love of travel, heading to Europe after graduating from Lehigh. He eventually became CEO of the automotive lighting business Optronics Inc. and moved to Oklahoma. Payne traveled to Europe and Asia, where he picked up antique maps and souvenirs. Collecting maps remained a hobby until he retired, at which point he turned his collection into a small business, Antique Maps and Atlases LLC. In retirement, his collection expanded to several thousand maps. Payne and his wife relocated to Virginia, and he was often found in his basement “map room,” which included flat file cabinets and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with maps and cartography books. He loved to share his knowledge of maps, and his family hopes to see that live on at Lehigh. “Part of my father’s legacy was the hope that Lehigh can display these maps, but also make them accessible to students … to learn from them,” Dotson said. “I do think maps are important in understanding history, and giving students access to the original artifacts is so important. You get a better understanding and appreciation for them when you can see the physical piece of history.” —Christina Tatu “HE WANTED LEHIGH TO BE ABLE TO START AN AMAZING COLLECTION AS WELL AS FOR THE STUDENTS THERE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THIS TYPE OF HISTORICAL ARTIFACT.” —Eliane Dotson CHRISTA NEU Ilhan Citak, an archives and special collections librarian, holds a copy of “Atlas Nouveau Portatif,” by Georges-Louis Le Rouge, Paris, 1756. At left, a map of the world, from a 1587 edition of Abraham Ortelius’ “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum."
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0OTQ5OA==