Design
'Femme Fatales of Cartography'
Inside a beautiful new collection of "maps you shouldn't trust yet cannot help but fall for."
The rise of photography put painters in a bind. Since the late Middle Ages, Western artists had relentlessly refined their technique in an attempt to craft the perfect imitation of life. But the new technology quickly surpassed their efforts. What, then, was the purpose of painting?
Mapmakers today stand at a similar crossroads. Digital maps -- especially the cartographic empires of Google and the GPS companies -- not only provide instant, up-to-date plans of the entire world, but also offer directions and even transit guidance. What makes any non-satellite map necessary?