I am still on the first rungs of learning this history

December 26, 2024 12:37 PM

I focused on chart innovation, not necessarily the application of charting… although many simply famous charts are also included. The visual communication of information is arguably thousands of years old — but developments before the 17th century are sparse and so I knew I wanted to begin around there. Chart innovation slowed in the early 20th century and so I knew I wanted to cut things off near the end of the golden age — certainly well before computers reignited the field. Discovering two charts that examine the migration of sunspots — one from 1630 and one from 1904 — provided poetic bookends for this project.
posted by chavenet (9 comments total)

Oh, man, this looks tasty.
posted by Lemkin at 1:02 PM on December 26 [1 favorite]

charts got rungs?
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:48 PM on December 26 [1 favorite]

Including Minard's chart. Excellent. Thanks for this, it's going to be days of entertainment and education!
posted by FranzKanner at 3:24 PM on December 26 [3 favorites]

If you're into this sort of thing, I highly recommend the work of Edward Tufte.
posted by Runes at 5:29 PM on December 26 [2 favorites]

Any Dubois? He made a bunch of very good data visualizations by hand!
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 5:35 PM on December 26 [1 favorite]

If you're into this sort of thing, I highly recommend the work of Edward Tufte.

Yes, his citation of the Minard chart showing the size of Napoleon's army when it invaded Russia, and what remained of it as they returned to France is, to me, the best charted depiction of military loss that I have ever seen.
posted by etaoin at 5:36 PM on December 26 [1 favorite]

Any Dubois?

Du Bois is linked with the text 'city + rural' (after 1900), source: medium
posted by HearHere at 5:59 PM on December 26 [1 favorite]

Any Dubois

Wasn't that a character in A Streetchart Named Desire?
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:29 PM on December 26 [1 favorite]

a character in A Streetchart Named Desire?

Stellar!
posted by HearHere at 2:56 AM on December 27 [1 favorite]