James R. Beniger and Dorothy L. Robyn.
Quantitative Graphics in Statistics: A Brief History.
In The American Statistician, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 1--11, 1978.

Links:

Abstract:

Quantitative graphics have been central to the development of science, and statistical graphics date from the earliest attempts to analyze data. Many familiar forms, including bivariate plots, statistical maps, bar charts, and coordinate paper, were used in the 18th century. Statistical graphics developed through attention to four problems: spatial organization (17th and 18th centuries), discrete comparison (18th and early 19th centuries), continuous distribution (19th century), and multivariate distribution and correlation (late 19th and early 20th centuries). Today, statistical graphics appear to be reemerging as an important analytic tool, with recent innovations exploiting computer graphics and related technologies

Bibtex:

@Article{        beniger:1978:QGSH,
  author = 	 {James R. Beniger and Dorothy L. Robyn},
  title = 	 {Quantitative Graphics in Statistics: A Brief History},
  journal = 	 {The American Statistician},
  year = 	 {1978},
  volume = 	 {32},
  number = 	 {1},
  pages = 	 {1--11},
  month = 	 {February},
}

Images:

References:

I. Early Quantitative Graphics (Pre-1800)
[1] Bayes, T. (1763), "Essay Towards Solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances," Philosophical Transactions, 370-418.
[2] Buache, P. (1752), "Essai de G6ographie Physique," Memoires de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, 399-416.
[3] Charpentier, J. F. W. T. von, (1778), Mineralogische Geographie der Chursachsischen Lande, Leipzig: Crusius.
[4] Crome, A. W. F. (1782), Producten-Karte von Europa, Dessau.
[5] (1785), Uber die Grbsse und Bevi3lkerung der Samtlichen Europaischen Staaten, Leipzig.
[6] Cruquius (1724), "Observationes Accuratae Captae... Circa Mediam Barometri Altitudinem, Mediam Thermometri Elevationem, Tum et Hydrometri Varietatem Mediam, etc.," Philosophical Transactions, 4-7.
[7] Descartes, R. (1637), "La G6om6trie," Appendix to Discours de la Methode, Paris.
[8] Halley, E. (1686), "On the Height of the Mercury in the Barometer at Different Elevations Above the Surface of the Earth, and On the Rising and Falling of the Mercury on the Change of Weather," Philosophical Transactions, 104-115.
[9] (1693), "An Estimate of the Degrees of Mortality of Mankind, Drawn from Curious Tables of the Births and Funerals at the City of Breslaw, with an Attempt to Ascertain the Price of Annuities on Lives," Philosophical Transactions, 596-610.
[10] (1701), The Description and Uses of a New and Correct Sea-Chart of the Whole World, Shewing Variations of the Compass, London.
[11] Hauksbee, F. (1712), "Account of the Experiment on the Ascent of Water between Two Glass Planes in an Hyperbolick Figure," Philosophical Transactions, 539-540.
[12] Lambert, J. H. (1760), Photometria, Augustae Vindelicorum, 1760.
[13] (1765), "Theorie der Zuverlassigkeit," in Beytrage zum Gebr-auche der Mathematik und Der-en Anwendung, Vol. 1, Berlin, 424-488.
[14] (1779), Pyrometrie, Berlin.
[15] Oresme, N. (1482), Tractatus de Latitudinibus Formarum, Padova.
[16] Playfair, W. (1786), Commercial and Political Atlas, London: Corry; 3rd edition, London: Stockdale, 1801.
[17] Pouchet, L. E. (1795), "Arithm6tique Lineaire," Appendix to Echelle Graphique des Nouveaux Poids, Mesuires et Monnaies de la Republique Franqaise, Rouen.
[18] Priestley, J. (1765), A Chart of Biography, London.
[19] Vinci L. da (c. 1500), Notebooks, Vol. M, Verso 40, Paris: Manuscripts of the Institute of France.
[20] Wren, C. (1750), Parentalia: or, Memoirs of the Family of the Wrens, London: Osborn.
II. Nineteenth Century Statistical Graphics
[21] Dupin, C. (1819), Carte de la France Eclaire'e et de la France Obscure, Paris.
[22] Fourier, J. B. J. (1821), "Notions Generales, sur la Population," Recherches Statistiques sur la Ville de Paris et le Departement de la Seine, 1, 1-70.
[23] Galton, F. (1885-6), "Regression towards Mediocrity in Hereditary Stature," Journal of the Anthropological Institute, 15, 246-263.
[24] (1899), "A Geometric Determination of the Median Value of a System of Normal Variants from Two of Its Centiles," Nature, 16, 102-104.
[25] Guerry, A. M. (1883), Essai sur la Statistique Morale de la France, Paris.
[26] Herschel, J. F. W. (1833), "On the Investigation of the Orbits of Revolving Double Stars," Memoirs of' the Royal Astronomical Society, 5, 171-172; read January 13, 1832.
[27] Howard, L. (1800), "On a Periodical Variation of the Barometer, Apparently due to the Influence of the, Sun and Moon on the Atmosphere," Philosophical Magazine, 7, 355-363.
[28] Humboldt, F. W. K. H. A. von (1811), Essai Politique sur le Royaume de la Nouvelle-Espagne, avec un Atlas Physique et Geographique, Paris.
[29] International Statistical Congress (1858), "Emploi de la Cartographie et de la M6thode Graphique en General pour les Besoins Speciaux de la Statistique," Proceedings, 3rd Session, August 31-September 5, 1857, Vienna.
[30] Jevons, W. S. (1863), A Serious Fall in the Value of Gold Ascertained, and Its Social Effects Set Fourth, London.
[31] (1879), "Graphical Method," in Principles of'Science, 3rd edition, London, 492-496.
[32] Keith, A. (1800), "Description of a Thermometer, Which Marks the Greatest Degree of Heat and Cold from One Time of Observation to Another, and May Also Register Its Own Height at Every Instant," Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts, 3, 266-268.
[33] Lalanne, L. (1845), "Sur la Repr6sentation Graphique des Tableaux M6t6orologiques et des Lois Naturelles en G6n6ral," Appendix to Cours Complet de Meteorologie de L. F. Kaemntz, translated and annotated by C. Martins, Paris.
[34] (1846), Memoire sur les Tables Graphiques et stir la Geommtrie Anamorphique Appliquees d Diverses Questions qui se Rattachent a l'Art de l'Ingenieur, Paris; read 1843.
[35] Levasseur, E. (1868), La France, Avec Ses Colonies, Paris.
[36] Minard, C. J. (1861), Des Tableaux Graphiques et des Cartes Figuratives, Paris.
[37] Mulhall, M. G. (1884), Dictionary of Statistics, London.
[38] Nightingale, F. (1857), Mortality of the British Army, London.
[39] Pearson, K. (1895), "Contributions to the Mathematical Theory of Evolution-II, Skew Variation in Homogeneous Material," Philosophical Transactions, 186, Pt. 1, 343-414.
[40] Perozzo, L. (1880), "Della Rappresentazione Graphica di una Collettivitai di Individui nella Successione del Tempo," Annali di Statistica, 12, 1-16.
[41] Playfair, W. (1801), Statistical Breviary; Shewing, on a Principle Entirely New, the Resources of Every State and Kingdom in Europe, London.
[42] Quetelet, A. (1827), "Recherches sur la Population, les Naissances, etc., dans le Royaume des Pays-Bas," Nouveaux Me~moires de l'Academie Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Bruxelles, 4, 117-174.
[43] (1828), Inistructions Populaires stir le Calcul des Probabilites, Brussels.
[44] (1846), Lettres stir la Theorie des Probabilites, Appliquee aux Sciences Morales et Politiques, Brussels.
[45] Schwabe, H. (1872), "Theorie der Graphischen Darstellungen," Proceedings of the International Statistical Congress, 8th Session, Pt. 1, St. Petersburg.
[46] U.S. Bureau of the Census (1872), Statistics of Wealth and Public Indebtedness, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
[47] Vauthier, L. L. (1874), "Note sur une Carte Statistique Figurant la Repartition de la Population de Paris," Comptes Rendus des Seances de l'Academie des Sciences, 78, 264-267.
[48] Walker, F. A. (1874), Statistical Atlas of the United States, Based on the Restults of Ninth Census, 1870, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census.
[49] Zeuner, G. (1869), Abhandlungen aus der Mathematischen Statistik, Leipzig.
II. Early Twentieth Century Statistical Graphics
[50] Ayres, L. P. (1919), The War with Germany, A Statistical Summry, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
[51] Brinton, W. C. (1914), Graphic Methods for Presenting Facts. New York: Engineering Magazine.
[52] Croxton, F. E. (1927), "Further Studies in the Graphic Use of Circles and Bars," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 22, 36-39.
[53] , and Stein, H. (1932), "Graphic Comparisons by Bars, Squares, Circles and Cubes," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 27, 54-60.
[54] , and Stryker, R. E. (1927), "Bar Charts versus Circle Diagrams," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 22, 473-482.
[55] Eells, W. C. (1926), "The Relative Merits of Circles and Bars for Representing Component Parts," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 21, 119-132.
[56] Gilman, S. (1917), Graphic Charts for the Btisiness Man, Chicago.
[57] Haskell, A. C. (1919), How to Make and Use Graphic Charts, New York: Codex.
[58] Hazen, A. (1914), "Storage to be Provided in Impounding Reservoirs for Municipal Water Supply," Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 77, 1529-1669; read December 17, 1913.
[59] Huhn, R. von (1927), "A Discussion of the Eells' Experiment," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 22, 31-36.
[60] Joint Committee on Standards for Graphic Presentation (1914-15), "Preliminary Report Published for the Purpose of Inviting Suggestions for the Benefit of the Committee," Publications of the American Statistical Association, 14, 790-797.
[61] Lorenz, M. 0. (1905), "Methods of Measuring the Concentration of Wealth," Publications of the American Statistical Association, 9, 209-219.
[62] Martin, F. C., and Leavens, D. H. (1931), "A New Grid for Fitting a Normal Probability Curve to a Given Frequency Distribution," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 26, 178-183.
[63] Neurath, 0. (1973), "From Vienna Method to Isotype" (papers written 1925-45), in Empiricism and Sociology, eds. M. Neurath and R. S. Cohen, Dordrecht, Neth.: Reidel, 214-248.
[64] Peddle, J. B. (1910), The Construction of Graphical Charts, New York: McGraw-Hill.
[65] Warne, F. J. (1916), Warne's Book of Charts, A Special Feature of Warne's Elementary Cotirse in Chartography, Washington, D.C.: F. J. Warne.
[66] Washburne, J. N. (1927), "An Experimental Study of Var- ious Graphic, Tabular and Textual Methods of Presenting Quantitative Material," Journal of Educational Psychology, 18, 361-376, 465-476.
IV. Post-World War II Statistical Graphics
[67] Anderson, E. (1957), "A Semigraphical Method for the Analysis of Complex Problems," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 13, 923-927; reprinted in Technometrics, 2, No. 3 (August 1960), 387-391.
[68] Andrews, D. F. (1972), "Plots of High Dimensional Data," Biometrics, 28, 125-136.
[69] Bachi, R. (1968), Graphical Rational Patterns, A New Approach to Graphical Presentation of Statistics, Jerusalem: Israel Universities Press.
[70] Barnard, G. (1969), "Summary Remarks," in New Developments in Survey Sampling, eds. N. L. Johnson and H. Smith, Jr., New York: Wiley-Interscience, 696-711.
[71] Biderman, A. D. (1971), "Kinostatistics for Social Indicators," Educational Broadcasting Review, 5, 13-19.
[72] Chernoff, H. (1973), "The Use of Faces to Represent Points in k-Dimensional Space Graphically," Joturnal of the American Statistical Association, 68, 361-368.
[73] , and Rizvi, M. H. (1975), "Effect on Classification Error of Random Permutations of Features in Representing Multivariate Data by Faces," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 70, 548-554.
[74] Cleveland, W. S., and Kleiner, B. (1975), "A Graphical Technique for Enhancing Scatterplots with Moving Statistics," Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, Atlanta, Georgia.
[75] Ehrenberg, A. S. C. (1975), "Numerical Information Processing Project, London Graduate School of Business Studies," unpublished personal communication.
[76] Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (1973), Social Indicators 1973, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
[77] Fienberg, S. E. (1975), "Perspective Canada as a Social Report," unpublished paper, Department of Applied Statistics, School of Statistics, University of Minnesota.
[78] Gonzalez, M. E., Ogus, J. L., Shapiro, G., and Tepping, B. J. (1975), "Standards for Discussion and Presentation of Errors in Survey and Census Data," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 70, No. 351, Pt. 2, 5-23.
[79] Pickett, R. and White, B. W. (1966), "Constructing Data Pictures," Proceedings of the 7th National Symposium of the Society for Information Display, 75-81.
[80] Siegel, J. H., Goldwyn, R. M., and Friedman, H. P. (1971), "Pattern and Process of the Evolution of Human Septic Shock," Surgery, 70, 232-245.
[81] Tukey, J. W. (1965), "The Future of Processes of Data Analysis," Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on the Design of Experiment in Army Research Development and Testing, ARO-D Report 65-3, Durham, N.C.: U.S. Army Research Office, 691-729.
[82] (1972), "Some Graphic and Semigraphic Displays," in Statistical Papers in Honor of George W. Snedecor, ed. T. A. Bancroft, Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 293-316; presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, August 1969.
[83] (1977), Exploratory Data Analysis, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley.
[84] U.S. Bureau of the Census (1976), StatUS, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
[85] , and Manpower Administration (1974), Urban Atlas, Series GE-80, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Of'fice.
[86] Wainer, H. (1974), "The Suspended Rootogram and Other Visual Displays: An Empirical Validation," American Statistician, 28, 143-145.
[87] , and Reiser, M. (1976), "Assessing the Efficacy of Visual Displays," in American Statistical Association, Proceedings of the Social Statistics Section, Part 1, 19, 89-92. V. Secondary Sources
[88] Barabba, V. (1975), "The Graphic Presentation of Statistics," in U.S. Bureau of the Census, The Census Bureau, A Numerator and Denominator for Measuring Change, Technical Paper 37, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 89-103.
[89] Beniger, J. R. (1975), "Annotated Bibliography: History of Quantitative and Statistical Graphics," Paper accompanying slide presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, Atlanta, Georgia.
[90] (1976), "Science's 'Unwritten' History: The Development of Quantitative and Statistical Graphics," Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York.
[91] (1976), "From Stylus to Light Pen: Technology and Innovation in the Development of Quantitative Graphics," Computer Graphics and Art, 1, 18-27.
[92] Feinberg, B. M., and Franklin, C. A., eds. (1975), Social Graphics Bibliography, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Social Science Research.
[93] Fienberg, S. E., and Goodman, L. A. (1974), "Social Indicators 1973: Statistical Considerations," in Social Indicators 1973: A Reviewv Symposium, ed. R. A. Van Dusen, Washington, D.C.: Social Science Research Council, Center for the Coordination of Research on Social Indicators, 63-85.
[94] Friis, H. R. (1974), "Statistical Cartography in the United States Prior to 1870 and the Role of Joseph C. G. Kennedy and the U.S. Census Office," American Cartographer, 1, 131-157.
[95] Funkhouser, H. G. (1936), "A Note on a Tenth Century Graph," Osiris, 1, 260-262.
[96] (1937), "Historical Development of the Graphical Representation of Statistical Data," Osiris, Pt. 1 (November 1937), 269-405; reprinted Brugge, Belgium: St. Catherine Press, 1937.
[97] Gunther, R. T. (1930), "The Life and Work of Robert Hooke," Early Science in Oxford, Vol. 6, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[98] Hoff, H. E., and Geddes, L. A. (1959), "Graphic Recording Before Carl Ludwig: An Historical Summary," Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences, 12, 3-25.
[99] , and Geddes, L. A. (1962), "The Beginnings of Graphic Recording," Isis, 53, Pt. 3, 287-324.
[100] Kruskal, W. (1977), "Visions of Maps and Graphs," Proceedings of the International Symposium on Computer-Assisted Cartography, Auto-Carto II, 1975, 27-36.
[101] Marey, E. J. (1878), La Methode Graphique dans les Sciences Experimentales et Principalement en Physiologie et en Medecine, Paris: G. Masson.
[102] Middleton, W. E. K. (1964), History of the Barometer, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press.
[103] R6e, J. (1974), Descartes, London: Allen Lane (Penguin).
[104] Royston, E. (1970), "Studies in the History of Probability and Statistics, III. A Note on the History of the Graphical Presentation of Data," Biometrika, 43, Pts. 3 and 4 (December 1956), 241-247; reprinted in Studies in the Histoty of Statistics and Probability Theory, eds. E. S. Pearson and M. G. Kendall, London: Griffin.
[105] Tilling, L. (1975), "Early Experimental Graphs," British Joulrnal for the History of Science, 8, 193-213.