Comments on: The Very First Thematic Maps http://flowingdata.com/2010/01/20/the-very-first-thematic-maps/ Strength in Numbers Thu, 24 May 2012 15:48:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Nathan Yau http://flowingdata.com/2010/01/20/the-very-first-thematic-maps/#comment-38226 Nathan Yau Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:45:50 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=4925#comment-38226 hehe, dark color for the "dark ages of ignorance." i like that. hehe, dark color for the “dark ages of ignorance.” i like that.

]]> By: Frank http://flowingdata.com/2010/01/20/the-very-first-thematic-maps/#comment-38222 Frank Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:47:04 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=4925#comment-38222 Hypergeo confirms that Charles Dupin (1784-1873) was the first to use "dyed maps" as he called it, in 1826. The first map shown here was published in 1827 as part of "Forces productives et commerciales de la France". The interesting thing is its underlying colour psychology: départements with a low level of public instruction are shown in dark colour, because they still remained in the Dark Ages of Ignorance, whereas those with a higher level of instructed are more "enlighted" which translates into lighter colour. See http://www.hypergeo.eu/article.php3?id_article=274 Hypergeo confirms that Charles Dupin (1784-1873) was the first to use “dyed maps” as he called it, in 1826. The first map shown here was published in 1827 as part of “Forces productives et commerciales de la France”.
The interesting thing is its underlying colour psychology: départements with a low level of public instruction are shown in dark colour, because they still remained in the Dark Ages of Ignorance, whereas those with a higher level of instructed are more “enlighted” which translates into lighter colour.

See http://www.hypergeo.eu/article.php3?id_article=274

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