6 Rarely Seen Maps by the 19th Century's Renowned Infographic Creator

The map illustrating Napoleon's Russian campaign by Charles-Joseph Minard is often celebrated as the finest statistical visualization ever produced.

While his name might not be widely recognized, Charles-Joseph Minard's creations are iconic in the world of infographics. This 19th-century French civil engineer is best known for his flow map of Napoleon's ill-fated 1812 Russian campaign, which data visualization authority Edward Tufte has praised as "the greatest statistical graphic ever made." (Tufte even offers a poster of it.) Published just a year before Minard's death in 1870, the "Napoleon’s March to Moscow" map has cemented his legacy among modern data enthusiasts. However, this masterpiece was the pinnacle of a career filled with intricate visualizations. A new publication, The Minard System: The Complete Statistical Graphics of Charles-Joseph Minard, showcases many of his lesser-known works. Below are six of Minard's rarely highlighted visualizations from the book.

1. Movement of Goods Across French Railroads and Waterways in 1856

Minard never intended to become a design legend—his mapping and drawing skills were simply part of his engineering profession. With a keen interest in economics, he aimed to illustrate the benefits and applications of new infrastructure projects. After working in France's public engineering sector and later serving as a professor and inspector, he retired in 1851 at the age of 70. It was only then that he fully dedicated himself to his love for statistical mapping.

2. Movement of Mineral Fuels Across France in 1858

While Minard didn’t pioneer the concept, he became renowned for his flow maps, which depict the movement of people, goods, or data between locations—such as the dwindling numbers of French troops advancing toward Russia. Over his career, he produced 41 large-scale maps in this style, starting in 1845 with a study on road traffic (indicating potential demand for a future railway) between his birthplace, Dijon, France, and the nearby city of Mulhouse. The map above is part of a multi-year series he created on fuel transportation across France, using color codes to indicate the origin of the fuels.

3. Movement of Goods Across French Railroads and Waterways in 1861

Minard released multiple map series on identical themes, documenting data changes over time and publishing revised versions. For example, this collection includes 10 distinct maps illustrating the variations in freight transport via waterways (shown in green) and railroads (depicted in pink) during the 1850s and early 1860s.

4. European Cotton Imports in 1858 and 1861

Amid the U.S. Civil War, Minard started mapping the global cotton trade's transformation due to the potential division of the United States. The blue flow indicates cotton exported from the U.S., orange represents Indian cotton, brown signifies Middle Eastern cotton, purple denotes Brazilian cotton, and faint pink highlights cotton bought by England and re-exported to Europe. As the conflict progressed, Minard's series vividly demonstrated how U.S. political events swiftly altered the global economic landscape.

5. European Railroad Travel in 1862

Minard often supplemented his infographics with comprehensive written analyses, detailing his data sources, methodologies, and insights. His visualizations relied on a mix of published data, government statistics, and direct communication with officials and engineers in the field. For this railroad traffic map, he gathered information from parliamentary records, reports by the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, official documents from the General Assembly of Railroad of Southern Austria and Lombardy, traveler receipts, and other sources.

6. Spread of Ancient Languages

Minard operated independently, without ties to any specific scientific organization, and self-published all his maps. Despite this, he maintained strong connections within France's infrastructure sector and garnered support from public works administrators and other officials. His maps were presented to Emperor Napoleon III and other French statesmen, who responded positively. Many individuals, including government officials, economic researchers, and infrastructure-focused businessmen, subscribed to his works. His influence also encouraged others in France's civil engineering community to produce their own detailed diagrams and maps, helping to popularize statistical graphics during his era.

The Minard System can be purchased on Amazon for $37.