This map, by an unknown author, was published in 1900 as part of the Daily Mail's campaign to raise funds to support British reservists who had been mobilised for the Second Boer War.

At the start of the war in 1899, the British Empire was forced to mobilise reservists on reduced pay and without guarantees for their families. This led the Daily Mail to organise a fundraising campaign. As part of this, the English newspaper requested a musical score and a poem from Arthur Sullivan and Rudyard Kipling, respectively, with which to raise funds for the soldiers.

The map, printed on a handkerchief, shows the territory of the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State in the north-east of present-day South Africa. Both states, which enjoyed independence during the second half of the 20th century, fought against the United Kingdom in the Second Boer War.

Accompanying the map, on the left-hand side, are also printed the score and poem from the Daily Mail campaign, as well as a commemorative portrait of General Lord Roberts and Queen Victoria.

The aim of this propaganda piece was twofold. In addition to raising over £250,000 for the soldiers, it also sought to boost patriotism at a time when the British Empire was facing multiple problems and was unable to adequately pay the soldiers who were fighting for the nation.

Sources

• The Absent-Minded Beggar