Atlas of the World

Edgar Miller, Illustrator
1936
L 35.5, W 29 cm

The Atlas of the World was published in 1936, was another publication by the Container Corporation of America (CCA) in partnership with Rand McNally, and was distributed as gifts to the company's many employees and clients.

Miller's illustrations throughout the atlas are remarkably detailed and eye-catching, not to mention highly researched in all aspects of geography, culture, and history. The world atlas also includes a page for each US state (only 48 at the time), where Miller added illustrations for all kinds of references to each state's heritage—like the state’s flower and animal. Also of note, in terms of each state's history, Miller opted more often to portray the Native American tribes that inhabited the lands before the United States pushed most of them out or completely destroyed their indigenous cultures. Occasionally he also depicts some of colonial and US history, but Miller does not seem to dwell on it in a patriotic way, an indication of Miller's more universal perspective of history.

Below are a few sample illustrations from the Atlas.