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This colorful depiction of the Americas in the form of a "Pirate Treasure Map," designed by W.J. Goodacre in 1939, offers a whimsical historical narrative, merging the romanticized lore of pirates with 20th-century pictorial map design. Created in the prelude to World War II, a period when escapism in the arts was common, this map transports the viewer to an imagined realm of adventure and discovery.
The map, originating from Goodacre's studio in Santa Barbara, California, serves as a simulacrum of the pirate-infested waters and islands that have inhabited the cultural imagination since the Golden Age of Piracy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The selection of the pirate theme resonates with the popular culture of the late 1930s, an era that saw a resurgence of interest in swashbuckling tales, coinciding with the silver screen’s portrayal of buccaneers as charming rogues and rebels against empires.
Goodacre's map is characterized by a lively arrangement of mythical sea creatures, treasure chests brimming with gold, and vignettes of pirates engaging in various exploits. Such embellishments are not merely ornamental but evoke the allure and peril associated with pirate folklore. The map’s primary function, beyond its decorative appeal, is to conjure the era when maps were fraught with unknowns and the sea was a canvas for the imagination.
