Infographics by Humboldt 1807 and Minard 1869

Beyond mere maps…

Humboldt: Naturgemälde

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Andrea: Alexander von Humboldt published a stunning infographic, in 1807. It was a picture of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador. He called it Naturgemälde meaning a ‘painting of nature’ but which also implies a sense of unity. On either side were details of temperature, humidity, light and how they influenced the plant life at different elevations.

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Minard:
Napoleon's March on Moscow

Edward: Napoleon’s army marched to Moscow in 1812. Some 420,000 set off and only 10,000 made it back. Charles Minard made an infographic of the disaster in 1869. It included geography of the route, numbers of soldiers, and temperatures.

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Voice-over

Infographics are not new. Humboldt had more than 50 artists design many graphics to explain how geography and nature were interrelated. Minard was an engineer who produced more than 50 statistical charts.

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Graphing and Mapping 1812

Clément and Minard discuss Napoleon’s Russian campaign…

Clément: How would you tell the story?

Napoleon's losses on the
Russian Campaign 1812

Minard: Graph it. 
Months on the independent variable. Soldier deaths the dependent. Numbers are dramatic. Simple.

Clément: OK, so that’s the What, When, Who. What about the Where? Where does the where go?

Minard: Hmm.

Clément: And the whys? The temperatures, Moscow deserted, Berezina river crossing, these all decimated Napoleon’s army.

Minard: Oui. Comment à ce sujet? We use a line of decreasing size, east to west and back. Splits and rejoins. Dates plotted. Weather temperatures falling along the retreat.

Clément: Magnifique!
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Voice-over

Beginning from a simple account of numbers a story is built. And told on a graph.

Charles Minard did it brilliantly in 1869. He puts “art” in the chart.

Edward Tufte says it "may well be the best statistical graphic ever drawn."

See a short film about visual graphics at http://youtu.be/fp8gmYE8Xuo

What is your opinion about the design of visual graphics?

Figurative map of French Army losses
on the 1812 Russian Campaign

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