By RONALD GRIM
More than 70 members and guests participated in the first meeting of the Phillips Society, which was held in the Madison Building of the Library on April 26-28. David Woodward, professor of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the History of Cartography Project, opened the meeting, which is to be held annually, with a keynote lecture on "Consumers of Maps During the Renaissance."
Afterward, attendees adjourned to the Montpelier Room. The program continued in this location for the remainder of the evening, allowing guests to meet other members of the society. Following dinner, there was a "visit" from Philip Lee Phillips, as portrayed by Richard W. Ste-phenson, former head of the Reference and Bibliography Section and specialist in cartographic history in the Geography and Map Division.
The Phillips Society was established to serve as an auxiliary fund-raising organization to develop, enhance and promote the historical collections of the Geography and Map Division.
The meeting resumed Saturday morning with a series of eight slide-illustrated talks about a selection of individual treasures in the division's collections. The speakers included John H‚bert, the Library's senior specialist in Hispanic bibliography, speaking about Diego Gutierrez's 1562 map of the Americas; Ronald Grim, specialist in cartographic history, describing Joao Teixeira's 1630 manuscript atlas; Louis De-Vorsey, professor emeritus, Department of Geography, University of Georgia, reviewing various maps of the Gulf Stream, including the Benjamin Franklin-Timothy Folger 1768 chart of the Gulf Stream; and John Wolter, former division chief, on the Atlantic Neptune charts of the Atlantic Coast. Other speakers included Patricia van Ee, administrative officer, Geography and Map Division, discussing the Rochambeau Map Collection of Revolutionary War maps and atlases; Edward Redmond, senior Library Technician, Geography and Map Division, highlighting selected maps drawn by George Washington; Richard Stephenson, former specialist in American cartographic history, describing the Peter Force Map Collection with emphasis on selected American items; and Ralph Ehrenberg, chief of the Geography and Map Division, concluding with a discussion of items in the Lewis and Clark Map Collection.
Following lunch, the division was open for tours. The tour was highlighted by a display of selected treasures, as well as demonstrations of the latest computer technology, much of which has been donated by members of the division's Center for Geographic Information.
On Sunday, approximately 20 people participated in a field trip to Annapolis, Md., focusing on the map exhibition "Space and Place, Map Making East and West" at St.John's College. Exhibit curator Cordell Yee, provided a tour of the exhibit.
Membership in the Phillips Society is open to anyone interested in supporting the society's goals. For further information, contact Ralph Ehrenberg, chief, or Ronald Grim, specialist in cartographic history, at the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, DC 20540-4760 or call (202) 707-8532; fax (202) 707-8531.
Ronald Grim is a specialist in cartographic history.