Plan of Reading. Original antique map published by G W Bacon in 1903. Original colour.

Original antique map published by George Bacon in 1903.

G.W. Bacon (George Washington) 1830-1922

Following bankruptcy in 1867, Bacon set-up his publishing business on the Strand in 1870. To establish his company, he acquired the plates of Edward Weller, previously used in 1863 for “The Dispatch Atlas”.

Bacon modified and updated the plates, improved the clarity of text and added a colour wash to the maps to make them more attractive. The much improved maps first appeared in the “The New Ordnance Atlas of the British Isles” in 1881. Subsequent editions were printed up until 1912.