After purchasing a 1786 edition of 'Transactions of the American Philosophical Society,' which included a letter and chart of the Gulf Stream by Benjamin Franklin, Luke became interested in learning more about the gulf stream and expanded his map stock to include charts of the Atlantic Ocean. Luke expanded his inventory in part through buying trips in London, visiting Jonathan Potter and Steve Luck on occasion to meticulously sift through their material. He was also drawn to plans of Washington, DC, due to his proximity to the city and his interest in its development. Having moved to Virginia on an army assignment in 1973, Luke developed an interest in early maps of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay and began collecting the derivatives of John Smith's map of Virginia. After retirement, he also began working as an engineer for a defense contractor in 1982, doing double-duty along with his map business. He began his business while still active in the service and wasn't able to invest much time into the map business until he retired in 1979. So it was no surprise when he and his wife, Patricia, founded Cartographic Arts in 1976, selling maps, globes, and scientific instruments related to using and making maps. During his career, Luke used maps almost daily, and had even learned to survey and make maps while earning his degree at the University of Utah. He studied the theory of guided missiles and spent six years teaching and operating the Army's guided missiles.

Luke Vavra began his career in the army and served in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Thackara & Vallance, Plan of the City of Washington, 1792. But in case you don't, I'll share a little about their backgrounds. Who are these dealers, you ask? Oh you should know really you should. So I called them up and they both agreed to 'give it a go.' And two names popped into my mind: Jonathan Potter and Steve Luck. At map fairs, in taxi cabs, and over drinks and dinners, Jon and I have developed relationships with some amazing dealers over the years. And it was important to us that we select a dealer of the same caliber as Luke Vavra - in the business since the 'old days' and well-respected in the map community. So we pondered: Who could supply additional maps for this special sale to generate broader appeal? It made sense for it to be another dealer (or two), who had enough stock to spare 150 maps or so, and who wasn't as focused on the New World.

As Luke's collection was heavily focused on North American material, we knew we needed additional items to round out the sale. Our customer base is very diverse, as are their collecting interests. We decided that Luke's material was a perfect candidate for a special auction.īut there was one thing that was nagging us: diversity. Often with large collections we split the material among multiple auctions to ensure that we don't over-index in any one particular geography, however this collection felt different. Of course being in Virginia ourselves, we knew that his material was both a great fit for our auction house, and would also prove to be a pleasure to catalog. As a dealer for 40 years, Luke had amassed one of the best collections of early Virginia maps, plans of DC, and charts of the Atlantic ocean of any US dealers. It started out with a phone call from Luke Vavra of Cartographic Arts, who had finally decided to retire and wanted to consign the majority of his remaining stock with Old World Auctions. Good Things Come in Threes by Eliane Dotson

Synonymia cartographica