Sink, John
1948

Scarce pictorial map of western North Carolina

Western North Carolina a Vacationists Map and Guide

DESCRIPTION: Western North Carolina: a vacationist's map and guide is a colorful mid-20th century pictorial map ca. 1948 illustrated by John Sink, a commercial artist known for lively regional tourist imagery. The map presents the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains as a continuous mountain chain extending from the Tennessee line eastward across western North Carolina ending at the Sauratown Mountains with Hanging Rock State Park.

Peaks, gaps, and valleys are shown in bold, sculptural relief, while towns such as Asheville, Boone, and Bryson City anchor the geography. Cartoon figures hiking, skiing, fishing, and sightseeing animate the landscape, emphasizing recreation and leisure ("The Fun") rather than precise navigation.

Designed as both a guide and a promotional image, the map combines expressive illustration with practical travel information. Major highways and scenic routes, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, trace the mountain ridges, while airplanes, automobiles, and roadside signage reflect the postwar rise of leisure travel by car and air. An inset conventional road map ("The Hiways") at lower right shows a detailed network of highways serving western North Carolina, reinforcing the sheet's function as both a souvenir image and a usable tourist guide.

Text on verso with twelve proposed routes for scenic tours throughout the region.

CREATOR: Sink, John

PUBLICATION DATE: 1948

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States

BODY OF WATER: N/A

CONDITION: Very Good. Clean. Bright. Folds. No notable condition issues.

COLORING: Offset litho.

ENGRAVER:

SIZE: 33 " x 20 "

ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION:

PRICE: $450

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