Vintage and antique maps provide a unique view into the past. With these maps, we can see how the towns, cities, and countries we know today have changed over time. Boundaries change, roads expand, and new landmarks appear. Viewing a series of maps from the same place that span a significant amount of time allows you to track these changes and imagine what life was like during those various times.
Our New Collection of Vintage Maps
Previously, our collection of vintage imagery has only included photography and posters. But now, we’ve added a major new category: maps! Vintage maps are unique pieces, made in a variety of styles, some technical and some more artistically focused. We are always expanding our collections, and hope to soon have maps from across the country in our archive.
Take a stroll through our new collection of vintage maps and see if anything calls out to you! Perhaps you’ll find a vintage map from your hometown, sparking nostalgia for your childhood. Or maybe a map of a city where you hope to live one day, perfect for keeping your dreams alive.
Digitally Restored Maps
All of the maps in our collection have been expertly digitally restored by our skilled team, using many of the same techniques we use for restoring our vintage photography and posters. We aim to always be as historically accurate as possible. If a vintage map is too damaged to achieve historical accuracy, such as having significant portions missing that would have to be artistically replaced, we would not include that map in our collection.
Thanks to our digital restoration efforts, each map in our collection is as fresh as the day it was made. We’ve fixed fading and discoloration, as well as removed dust, dirt, and any other damage accumulated over the years.
Styles of Mapmaking Through the Ages
Maps come in all shapes and sizes and in a variety of styles. Some maps are very strict and focused on exact details and proportions, while others take a more artistic approach. Each has its merits and unique purposes. Artistic maps, for example, wouldn’t be used to actually navigate a city or find exact information, but rather to appreciate the city as a whole and what makes it special.
Pictorial Maps
Pictorial maps, such as our “Map of Long Island” take a more artistic approach to mapmaking. These maps are also commonly referred to as illustrated maps or perspective maps. Pictorial maps are rarely drawn to scale, and will often enhance certain landmarks to make them more prominent, signifying their importance. Even when not drawn to scale, these maps are often still highly accurate depictions of the city as a whole.
Another beautiful example of pictorial mapmaking in our collection is “Map of the Wondrous Isle of Manhattan”. Made in 1926, this map uses bright colors; yellow for roads, red on rooftops, and green for park areas. Significant buildings are labeled with illustrated banners, with skyscrapers towering over smaller buildings in perspective. This map also features a fully illustrated border with brightly colored cars and pedestrians, alluding to the hustle and bustle of city life in Manhattan.
Bird’s-Eye-View Maps
Bird’s-eye-view maps are a type of pictorial map. We’ve separated them here because we’d like to highlight them for their artistic beauty and unique perspectives on cities throughout history. We have two birds-eye-view maps of Boston in our collection, both of which were made by John Bachman. Bachman is regarded as the finest, and one of the first, producers of urban birds-eye-view maps. He published two such maps of Boston throughout his mapmaking career, one in 1850 and the other in 1877. We have both of these maps in our collection, digitally restored to their original condition.
Bird’s-eye-view of Boston
The first of Bachman’s maps of Boston, made in 1850, is in our collection under the title “Bird’s Eye View of Boston”. This map views Boston from the southwest, with the Public Garden and the Common dominating the foreground. This perspective highlights Boston’s pride in its public spaces at the time. Boston’s bustling harbor and busy railroads illustrate the importance of these industries in the economic development of the city.
A few decades later, in 1877, Bachman published another map of Boston, this time viewed from the north. This view places the railroads in the foreground, showing their importance. As with the previous map, public spaces like the State House and Public Garden are highlighted, this time placed closer to the center of the map.
Each of these views provides a unique perspective on Boston in the mid-late 1800’s. Though they couldn’t be used as navigational maps, they serve a different purpose: to illustrate significant features of cities and to give an overall explanation of the city, without getting into the nitty gritty of exact streets and scales.
Traditional Maps
Our collection also includes a number of more traditional style maps, which focus on accuracy in their depictions. Exact scales are considered and noted in the maps, ensuring that everything on the map is drawn to the same scale, accurately representing that city or location. Two such maps like this in our collection show Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC at two different times.
The first, published in 1921, places the park at the center of the map, with the north on the left. The park is depicted in green, separating it from the city that surrounds it. The map shows some of the city roads surrounding the park, offering a contrast between the winding roads within the park and the rigidly straight roads of the city.
Our 1933 map of Rock Creek Park shows a significant change from the earlier map. Here we see the park has expanded, and more roads and paths have been marked throughout the park. This map also includes many more of the surrounding DC roads around the park, further highlighting the difference between the park and the city around it.
Blended Style Maps
Some maps tended to combine multiple styles into one unique map. A great example of this in our collection is “Map of Alexandria City with Connections to Washington”. This map places Alexandria at the bottom of the map, and depicts the city in a very traditional map style, showing its rigid grid system of streets. Rail lines are drawn from Alexandria to the top of the map, where we see Washington, DC, Arlington, and Rosslyn illustrated in a much more pictorial style. The Washington Monument and Capitol Building are prominent in the DC section of the map, highlighting their importance in the city.
How to Decorate With Vintage Maps
Vintage maps make for unique decor pieces. They can be used to decorate homes and offices and can blend seamlessly with many different decor styles. Brightly colored pictorial maps are a great option to add to an eclectically styled room, while more subdued maps in sepia tones would work perfectly with rustic styles.
Reproduction Prints of Antique Maps
Our reproduction prints of antique maps are a great option if you want the look of a vintage map, without having to search through thrift and antique stores to find an original piece. Our vintage maps have all been digitally restored, blending the old with the new, so our prints reflect the original condition of the maps.
Our prints are made with museum-quality materials, all of which have been rated to last 100+ years without fading. We offer prints on paper and canvas, offering different looks to fit different styles. Paper prints are a more traditional option, while canvas provides a more painterly look. Canvas prints are typically hung straight on the wall, while paper prints require framing, so you’ll want to take that into consideration when ordering your prints.
Share Your History With Your Decor
Vintage maps are a great way to share a piece of your history through your decor. A vintage map from the place you grew up is a great way to share a piece of yourself with your guests. A conversation is likely to be struck up by your vintage map, allowing you to share a bit about yourself. For anyone who hails from Alexandria as we do, consider our restored vintage Alexandria City Plan map! Its sure to be the centerpiece of your space, drawing viewers in with its fine detail.