Venezia

Souvenir map of Venice advertising a local Murano glass company.

The glassblowing industry in Venice can trace its history back nearly 1,500 years, and production has been concentrated on the island of Murano since as early as the 13th century. The small cluster of islands about an hour’s boat ride from the city retained its prominence in artistic glassware through to the modern era, and became a featured destination for tourists to The Floating City.

This souvenir pocket map was designed to promote a local glass producer – la Compagnia Venezia Murano – and likely issued at one of Venice’s biennial art exhibitions in the early 20th century. It shows the island of Venice with landmarks illustrated in profile and numerous decorative elements in the forms of a compass rose, sailing ships, and elaborate script. Points of interest are noted in red, and the headquarters of the company are highlighted at the Palazzo Barbarigo.

A small inset map on the verso of the original paper covers shows the island of Murano and provides instructions on how to access the glass-blowing area.