Preliminary Checklist of Pre-Twentieth-Century Women in Cartography

This article serves as an introduction to a checklist of the names of nearly 300 women involved with maps and map-making up to the year 1900. It outlines the categories considered, the sources the authors consulted in compiling the checklist, and some of the problems encountered. Many aspects of women's work with maps are considered, including women engaged in the printing and allied trades, women travellers and explorers whose books contained maps, authors of atlases and of geographies and histories containing maps, and others. The authors regard the checklist as a work in progress, and they invite comments, corrections and suggestions from readers. The purpose of the checklist is to provide a handy reference for those interested in cartographic history or in women's history.