Official Map of the Chicago Zoological Park [with guidebook]

Vibrant pictorial map and guide to the Brookfield Zoo from the early 1940s.

Brookfield Zoo officially opened on June 30, 1934 on land originally donated to the Cook County Forest Preserve in 1919. The Chicago Zoological Society was formed in 1920 by a group of prominent local residents and the organization continues to operate the zoo to this day.

This pictorial map of the grounds was created by Ralph Graham, an in-house artist employed by the zoo until 1965. Graham was a prolific painter and photographer for the zoo, and even traveled to India to assist in obtaining a pair of Great Indian Rhinos – some of the first ever displayed outside of the subcontinent.

Numerous exotic creatures and local amenities are illustrated and labeled throughout the image. Notice how no cages are shown – Brookfield was one of the first zoos to separate exhibits using moats and ditches, making for a more natural experience for both the animals and visitors.

The map is tipped into the back of a guidebook to the Brookfield Zoo, published in 1941 and printed in Chicago by the Neely Printing Company. Its 100+ pages offer a detailed and informative window into the dozens of attractions available to visitors in the early 1940s.

Source: Chicago Collections;