Entitled Hammond's Canada, this 1957 sheet distills a nation in vivid mid-century color and crystalline linework. Issued by C. S. Hammond & Co. as part of a boxed suite of nine political maps spanning the world and its continents, the Canadian plate was also promoted as Hammond's Superior Map of Canada. Its traditional border and handsome cartouche at upper right frame a composition that is both elegant and authoritative, while a decorative compass rose orients the eye to the country’s tri-oceanic reach. Province-by-province color coding brings immediate legibility to a vast domain, with political frontiers crisply engraved and place names set with the typographic clarity that made Hammond an educational standard.

The political landscape of Canada in 1957 unfolds here with confident precision: ten provinces and two northern territories, each individually hued and neatly captioned. Newfoundland—only eight years into Confederation—appears firmly integrated, its Labrador mainland adjoining Quebec across rugged interior lines. The map shows Ontario stretching from the Great Lakes to the clay belts of the north, while the Prairie Provinces—Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta—step westward in orderly tiers toward the Rockies. British Columbia meets the sinuous Alaska Panhandle, and to the east the Maritimes arc around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the Arctic, the Yukon and the expansive Northwest Territories precede the later creation of Nunavut, their borders a reminder of Canada’s evolving northern governance.

Hammond balances politics with topography, tracing Canada’s great physiographic story in a lattice of rivers and highlands. The Laurentian Shield is suggested by the dense constellation of lakes—Nipigon, Winnipeg, Athabasca—while the inland seas of Hudson and James Bays command the center of the map. Major rivers, from the St. Lawrence and Ottawa in the east to the Saskatchewan, Peace, and Fraser systems in the west, are labeled throughout, culminating in the mighty Mackenzie as it descends to the Arctic Ocean. Mountain chains rise with shaded emphasis: the Rockies and Coast Mountains in British Columbia, the Laurentians near the St. Lawrence, and the old Appalachians in the Maritimes. The Great Lakes—Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario—anchor the industrial heartland, bracketed by clear indications of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic waters.

Urban Canada is rendered as a lattice of strategic hubs and corridors, capturing the nation on the cusp of modern mobility. Toronto and Hamilton cluster along Lake Ontario; Montreal and Quebec City stride the St. Lawrence; Ottawa sits between, the bilingual hinge of federal power. Westward, Winnipeg commands the prairies, with Calgary and Edmonton rising along transcontinental routes, and Vancouver presiding over the Pacific gateway. Insets and markings trace principal highways and transportation arteries, including the emergent Trans-Canada Highway and the great east–west rail lines that shaped settlement. Ports and lakefronts knit together the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence basin, foreshadowing the Seaway era, while airfields and road junctions position Canada within a continental grid of trade and travel.

C. S. Hammond & Co.—long celebrated for classroom maps and atlases—brings its mid-century rigor to every choice on this sheet: the disciplined color separation that clarifies borders, the balanced typography that tiers capitals, secondary cities, and towns, and the integration of physical and political information without visual clutter. In 1957, Hammond’s reputation for accuracy and lucidity was second to none, and this map exemplifies that standard. More than a geographic reference, it is a snapshot of Canadian governance at a pivotal moment, when postwar growth, northern ambition, and continental infrastructure were reshaping the country. For the historian, geographer, or collector, it offers a richly legible canvas on which the politics and landscapes of late-1950s Canada are indelibly inscribed.

Cities and towns on this map

• Toronto (Population: ~2.8 million)
• Montreal (Population: ~1.7 million)
• Vancouver (Population: ~631,000)
• Ottawa (Population: ~1 million)
• Calgary (Population: ~1.4 million)
• Edmonton (Population: ~1 million)
• Winnipeg (Population: ~749,000)
• Quebec City (Population: ~542,000)
• Hamilton (Population: ~570,000)

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Provincial borders distinctly outlined with different colors.
• Major rivers labeled throughout the provinces.
• Significant lakes marked, including the Great Lakes.
• Decorative compass rose indicating North.
• The geographical indication for the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans around Canada.
• Insets or markings for major highways and transportation routes.

Historical and design context

• Date Created: 1957.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: CS Hammond Co — known for detailed, colorful, and accurate political and physical mapping in the mid-20th century.
• Part of a boxed set of nine political maps (world, continents, the United States, and Canada); includes “Hammond’s Superior Map of Canada.”
• Topics and Themes: political divisions of Canada based on historical boundaries; physical geography elements including mountains, lakes, and rivers.
• Coverage: entire map of Canada, including all provinces and territories.
• Design/Style: vibrant color palette with distinct color coding for provinces; traditional border with a decorative cartouche in the upper right.
• Historical Significance: provides insight into Canada’s late-1950s political landscape, useful for studying regional governance and geography.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This is a very large map that must be ordered at a large size, so that you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.