Propaganda Maps Depicted Enemies as Monsters During Wartime
Why this is here: The collection includes a Bulgarian anti-Bolshevik map that could have cost someone their life if found by Soviet soldiers, highlighting the real danger associated with possessing such propaganda.
Wartime maps were often used as propaganda to demonize enemies and rally support. British cartographer Frederick Rose created anthropomorphic maps portraying countries as humans, animals, or monsters. One 1900 map depicts Russia as an octopus threatening multiple nations.
Philip Curtis and Jakob Søndergård Pedersen compiled a unique collection of these propaganda maps over fifteen years. The maps cover conflicts including World War I, World War II, and the Russian Civil War. Some maps are extremely rare, with only one known copy existing.
A Bulgarian anti-Bolshevik map shows Soviet soldiers committing atrocities. According to collector Curtis, possessing such a map during Soviet military proximity could be life-threatening. Many of these maps were destroyed due to fear of retaliation, making surviving copies increasingly scarce.