Maps As Art: Wyoming Man Donates Map Collection To Museum

Wyoming television executive, Jack Rosenthal has donated his collection of antique maps of Wyoming, valued, "well into the six figures" to the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper.

Mr. Rosenthal told the Casper Star-Tribune that his fascination with maps began at the age of eight, when his uncle got him a subscription to National Geographic. He recounted spending hours studying the maps in each issue. Mr Rosenthal collected the maps during his travels across the country for his position in the media industry.

When museum staff members saw Mr. Rosenthal's map collection, they mentioned that others would be interested in old Wyoming maps. So the museum put them on display this summer. The exhibit was a big success. Museum curator Ben Mitchell, told the Star-Tribune, "They're wonderfully popular, people are really engaged. They tell a story of this place through the changing boundaries of the territory." Now, thanks to Mr. Rosenthal's generous gift, the maps can be enjoyed for generations.

While some might question whether a history museum would be a better place for the maps than an art museum, not Mr. Rosenthal. He told the Star-Tribune that map-making is both an art and a science.