McCormick Spice Map of the World

Awesome midcentury double hemisphere map of the world focused on the spice trade.

The origins of some of the first large-scale international commercial operations began with the spice trade, giving the McCormick Company a broad pool of historical material to draw from in this pictorial promotional map. Illustrations of tea, spice, coffee, and vanilla harvests in the corners present the idea that relatively little has changed in the hundreds of years Westerners have imported such commodities.

Images of sailing ships, windheads, and sea monsters, and colored routes of early explorers reinforce this perception of continuity in the trade, although air travel, refrigeration, and innovation in packaging had completely changed the industry by the middle of the 1950s. Red text within the borders of each country show what is grown there, and flags surrounding the outer border suggest the international nature of McCormick’s modern business.

Depictions of the company’s office buildings show its prosperity and success, while an image of Ft. Sumter at the top highlights its patriotism. On the verso are several full-color advertisements for products in the McCormick line, as well as diagrams of popular spices, herbs, tea, and coffee.