New York and Routes to the New York World’s Fair

A prominent restaurant chain advertising during the 1939/40 New York World’s Fair.

This carefully curated map of New York City was published locally by Hagstrom in 1939 on behalf of Child’s Restaurants, one of the earliest national dining chains in operation across North America. The map was issued in conjunction with the World’s Fair held that year in Queens and the image emphasizes an interesting mix of priorities between event promotion and restaurant advertising.

The legend in the lower left identifies transit routes, transportation depots, hotels, and, of course, Child’s Restaurants. The verso of the sheet shows a map of the fairgrounds in Flushing Park and presents more promotional text for Child’s – including celebrating its Golden Jubilee.