Intellectual Space, Image, and Identities in the Historical Campus: Helen Kemp’s Map of the University of Toronto, 1932

Abstract

In 1932, Toronto University English literature student Helen Kemp created a detailed, decorative map of the Toronto University campus, complete with humorous cartoons depicting university life, illustrations of prominent points of interest, and notations of university accomplishments. The map was admired beyond its intended undergraduate audience and was prominently reviewed in the local press. The map provides a view of social interactions in 1932 Toronto, as well as a framework for the "imagining" of university "geographic, social, and intellectual space." The article examines how the map shows "the intersections among social space, community, identity, and educational experience as ways to understand the meanings they held for their audiences.