WASHINGTON MAP SOCIETY

http://www.washmap.org/

The purpose of the Washington Map Society is to support and promote map collecting, cartography, and cartographic history. The Society was founded in 1979. Since 1979 the Society has grown tremendously and our membership now includes current and former employees of Federal, state, and private map repositories; collectors with scholarly knowledge gained through years of study; individuals who enjoy selling maps - both old and new; and many members who simply love to learn about or collect maps. Membership is open to anyone who shares these common interests. A membership application/renewal form is available online either as a web page or as a pdf file.

Journal

The Portolan, the Society's journal, was established to keep members informed of upcoming meetings, exhibitions, seminars and conferences; to provide listings of new books dealing with the history of cartography; and to provide information of specific interests to our membership. Members are encouraged to submit articles or reviews of speaker's lectures. For additional information or to request back issues please contact the Editor.

Meetings

The Society has about eight meetings each year. Most meetings are held at the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. Recent speakers have included Cyrus Ala'i, Richard Betz, Martin Bruckner, David Buisseret, Evelyn Edson, Francesca Fiorani, Blair Hedges, John Hessler, and Kim Martineau. An occasional meeting has been held at other Washington area map repositories like the National Archives, the National Geographic Society, and the News Art Department of the Washington Post. Weekend field trips have been taken to the Library of Virginia and Virginia Historical Society in Richmond; Walters Art Museum and Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore; the Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library in Charlottesville; the De-Witt Wallace Museum in Williamsburg; the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester; and the New York Public Library in New York. A current list of meetings is available online or at Cartography - Calendar of Events.

Ristow Prize

In 1994 the Society began awarding the annual Ristow Prize, named in honor of Walter F. Ristow, the founding President of the Society and former Chief of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. Each year the $1000.00 prize is awarded to a paper in the field of the history of cartography. The winning paper is also published in The Portolan. Click here to see Ristow Prize honorees since 1994.

Benefits of Membership

• Learn about and from other map collectors, map dealers, and map professionals.
• Field trips to map collections and map museums.
• Behind the scene tours of public and private map collections including the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division and the National Archives, Cartographic and Architectural Branch.
• Meetings held at the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.
• Three issues of The Portolan per year.
• News of upcoming meetings, conferences, or exhibits.
• Feature length articles written by Washington Map Society members.
• Listings of recent books dealing with the history of cartography.
• Information on internet links to other sites of cartographic interest.
• Annual Ristow Prize competition.
• Additional frequently asked questions can be found online.

Membership Information

The Washington Map Society is a non-profit organization, chartered in the District of Columbia. Our US Federal Tax Identification Number is 52-1745756. Click here to read the ByLaws. A membership application/renewal form is available online either as a web page or as a pdf file. Additional membership information can be obtained from:
John W. Docktor
3100 N Highway A1A PHA1
Fort Pierce FL 34949-8831
USA