1920s – The Broadway Butterfly’s Map of New York showing the Primrose Path – Antique Map Clearance Recommend

Item number: TOW724Genuine Antique Map

1920s

Maker: John Held Jr.

Humorous antique map of Manhattan by John Held Jr. As he notes on the bottom of the page, “One of the outstanding features of this map, is that nothing is shownin its right place.” This map is clearly a reference to the murder of Dot King, which would have been a hot subject at the time of the making of the map. Dorothy “Dot” King was a 28-year-old Jazz Age party girl with a nominal career as an artist’s model-slash-actress (hence her Broadway nickname) and lots of gentlemen callers. When her maid found her lifeless body one morning in March 1923—she’d been chloroformed to death in her West 57th Street apartment—all of New York tried to figure out who killed her. This explains the Rich Man’s Yachts, the morgue, and the reference to the Primrose Path (the pursuit of pleasure, especially when it is seen to bring disastrous consequences). Interestingly, a new book was published this year (2023) about the murder, which remains unsolved. On the back side is a cartoon in woodblock style printing titled “When the Theatre was Fraught with Romance, The Cherry Sisters.” Very good antique condition with toning. Measures approx. 11 x 8 inches to the paper edges.

Item Number: TOW724