About the object

Vera Jones' mapping book

Student Vera Jones completed this mapping book between 1896 and 1898. Vera attended St Peters Public School in Sydney. She was probably in 3rd Class when she drew this map of New Zealand in September 1896, probably 10  years old. 

Vera started the book in June1896 and to December 1896 she completed 21 maps. Eleven maps were done in 1897 and only two in 1898. 

The maps are of countries of the world, Australia and some of Australia's colonies at the time – New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. 

The maps align with the prescribed 1880 Course of Instruction for 3rd and 4th Class Geography – taught over two and a half years.

The maps are hand-drawn. Vera first ruled the border then drew the black outline. She used pen and ink, using a very fine mapping nib. Red, blue and black inks were used.

On the bottom right corner is a mark and date in blue pencil, marked by Vera's teacher. Most maps in the book are marked with a ‘10’. One is marked ‘9’ and three with an ‘8’.

Significance

The mapping book shows:

• the process of map drawing – frame, grid, outline, details

• ways of representing features – cross-hatching for mountains, blue lines for water, black outline for coasts and black dots for cities

• political boundaries of pre-Federation Australia.

Object details

Date –June 1896 to September 1898

Creator – Vera Jones, 3rd and 4th Class student

Place – St Peters, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Materials – Cardboard, paper

Dimensions – 23.5cm x 19cm, 35 pages of maps

See

• What coloured inks are used on the maps?

• Which is your favourite page? Why?

• How is the water shown on the maps?

Think

• What can you learn from examining these maps?

• Do you think Vera's mapping book is typical of 3rd and 4th Class work of the time? Why do you think that?

• How has the process of map making changed or remained the same to how you create maps today? 

Wonder

• What do you wonder about these maps?

• What else would you like to know about creating maps at school in the past?

Hand- drawn maps video

View the video to learn more about Vera's mapping book and Arthur Logan's hand-drawn map. 

• What is similar about the mapping work?

• Why do you think Vera and Arthur's mapping work has been kept for such a long time?

Hand-drawn map of Australia, 1901

Arthur Henry Logan's hand-drawn map of Australia is a large poster-sized map – 66cm by 54cm – completed in 1901. Arthur attended Chatswood Superior Public School. He was aged 12  when he drew the map.

The map is done in black ink and watercolour. He has used watercolour washes to colour the ocean and newly formed states of Australia. 

• What do you notice about Australia's political boundaries on this map – the states and territories?

Public Instruction Act of 1880 - Course of Instruction

The Public Instruction Act of 1880 made education compulsory for students aged 6 to 14 years to attend school for a minimum of 70 days per half year (semester). 

The Regulations prescribed the timetable for schools and the Course of Secular Instruction (Point 134, p.30). This was the syllabus all schools in NSW were to follow from 1880. 

The course for 3rd Class was one and a half years and for 4th Class one year. The courses were written in half year blocks.

The maps in Vera's mapping book align with the 1880 Geography course for 3rd and 4th Class.

• How does the 1880 Geography course compare with what students do in Stage 2 Geography today?