Networks of Cartographic Influence, Patronage, and Reception

Abstract

This chapter examines the development of the ethnographic map genre in Central and Eastern Europen in the middle of the nineteenth century through the figure of Peter von Köppen/Petr Keppen, statistician, cartographer, founding member of the Russian Geographical Society. It analyses the personal relationships among mapmakers and the circulation of knowledge across imperial borders as key factors that helped transmit new knowledge and methods for classifying and mapping ethnic groups. It examines the systems of patronage in imperial Russia which were crucial for financing ethnographic map production, but also exercised institutional constraints on the appearance and format of the maps produced. It finishes by examining the reception of Köppen’s maps among academicians, regional elites in the Baltic provinces, and international audiences. The chapter argues that Köppen’s cartographic activities emerged from his commitment to building personal relationships, both in Russia and internationally, and his skill in garnering political support and financial resources across a range of voluntary organizations, academic institutions, and government ministries.