Page:The National geographic magazine, volume 1.djvu/315

 A method used by Mr. F. H. King in the preparation of his large map of the United States is described by him in a letter to Messrs. Harden, and published by them in the place mentioned. A solid block of plaster is used,—the contoured map being transferred to it—and the plaster is carved down to produce a series of steps like those made by building up the contours. The shoulders are then carved down to produce a continuous surface. This method is one of the best of those that require carving instead of modeling.

Many other methods of producing relief maps might be mentioned, but, as most of them have been used only to make special models, they need not be described. The method that has been more used than any other still remains to be described. It is that which the writer has used almost exclusively, and consists in building up the model and modeling the detail, instead of carving it. It is a maxim of the modeler that the subject should be built up as far as possible, should be produced by adding bits of clay or wax, or other material, and not by carving away what is already on,—by addition and not by subtraction. This may be illustrated by a reference to the methods of the sculptor. The bust, or figure, or whatever the subject may be, is first modeled in clay or wax; from this model a plaster mould is made, and from this mould a plaster cast is taken. This cast is called the original, and the finished production, whether in marble, bronze, or any other hard substance, is simply a copy of this original. No one ever attempts to produce the finished bust or figure directly from the object itself. Even where the artist has for a guide a death mask, the procedure does not change. The bust is first made in clay, and this clay model, as a rule, contains all the detail which subsequently appears in the finished bust. It seems strange, therefore, that the relief map maker should use a method which the sculptor, with infinitely more skill and judgment, is afraid to use; and this on subjects that do not differ as much as might be imagined.

The contour interval to be used depends on the use to which the model is to be put. It is not always necessary to carry into the model all the contour lines upon the map: I may go further and say, that it is not always desirable to do so. The number to be used depends to some extent on the skill of the modeler. As already stated, the contours are only a means of control, and one modeler requires more than another. To build into a model every