The ‘company maps’: Norwegian military maps of the late 18th and early 19th centuries

Abstract

ABSTRACT Norway’s ‘company maps’, produced locally by hundreds of army officers and used as the Supreme Command’s gazetteer of communications in Southern Norway, are a valuable source of historical-geographical information, including the development of mapping in Norway. Today, scattered remains of this collection of maps are held at various archives and libraries. The article answers the question of why the maps were made and by whom. It discusses the historical background, possible origins and defined goals of the mapping project undertaken in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the later provenance and influence of the maps. The author concludes that the maps can be divided into two distinct series, based on differing goals and technological conditions, and further that many currently missing maps are likely to emerge from various collections in the future.