Richard Edes Harrison

Richard Edes Harrison (1901–1994) was an American cartographer and graphic designer best known for revolutionizing twentieth-century map design. Born in Baltimore, he studied architecture at Yale before turning to illustration and cartography. In the late 1930s and 1940s he produced striking maps for Fortune magazine and other publications, using bold colors, perspective techniques, and innovative projections that broke with traditional flat map styles. His 1941 perspective map of the Western Hemisphere, showing the Americas from an oblique angle, became one of the most iconic maps of World War II, emphasizing global air routes and the shrinking distances of a modern, connected world.

During the war years, Harrison’s work helped both the American public and policymakers visualize strategy in a global context. He later produced maps for the Office of Strategic Services and the State Department, bringing modern graphic clarity to intelligence and diplomatic cartography. His influence extended into the postwar period through atlases, textbooks, and exhibitions that highlighted the role of design in geographic communication. Harrison’s career bridged art and science, and he is remembered as one of the most influential American cartographers of the twentieth century, shaping how people understood geography in an age of global conflict and rapid change.