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Archive: 2023 (10 Posts)

Detail of manuscript map of part of Henrico and Chesterfield Counties showing topography and some landowners' names.

More Places in Civil War History

Posted by: Amelia Raines

This post is a compilation of the Places in History series written by G&M staff in 2011 and 2016, which explores maps produced during the Civil War, their creation, and the geography they depict. Previous blog posts based on that series can be seen under Places in Civil War History. Mapping Slavery According to the 1860 …

Authorized map of the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Illustrated map of Antarctica with information about the expedition and an inset map of its route

Virtual Orientation: Maps in the Classroom

Posted by: Amelia Raines

Please join Geography and Map Division staff tomorrow for a virtual orientation to our collections and resources! Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm (Eastern) Location: Zoom Register for this session here! Join us for a virtual orientation that will provide an introduction to the world’s largest map library, this time with a special focus on …

Southern Lands, Explorers, and Bears – Oh My!

Posted by: Amelia Raines

The story of the naming of America has been told before – not surprisingly considering the object central to the story, Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 world map, is one of the most important treasures in the Geography and Map Division. The name was bestowed by the mapmaker to show his support for Amerigo Vespucci’s argument that …

Photograph of a small book showing a map unfolded while still attached to the binding of the book. A ruler on the table shows that the unfolded map is longer than 12 inches.

Reading between the Gridlines

Posted by: Amelia Raines

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity, thanks to generous funding from the Philip Lee Phillips Society and the Library of Congress Professional Association, to attend the Material Foundations of Map History, 1450-1900, course held by the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. The course was taught by Matthew Edney, Osher …

Typus orbis descriptione Ptolemaei.

Virtual Orientation to the Geography and Map Division: Tuesday 6/13

Posted by: Amelia Raines

Please join Geography and Map Division staff tomorrow for a virtual orientation to our collections and resources! Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm (Eastern) Location: Zoom Register for this session here! Reference librarians Cynthia Smith and Julie Stoner will present an introduction to the Geography and Map collections at the Library of Congress. This orientation …

Land ownership map of Strafford County, New Hampshire

Virtual Orientation: Using Maps in Genealogical Research

Posted by: Amelia Raines

This afternoon, please join Geography and Map Division staff for a virtual orientation focused on maps and genealogy! Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm (Eastern) Location: Zoom Register for this session here! Reference librarians Amelia Raines and Julie Stoner will present an introduction to the Library of Congress Geography and Map collections. This orientation session …

Printed map of Africa north of the Equator, showing toponyms, landforms, and explorers' routes

Improvements in Geography: An 18th-Century Map of North Africa

Posted by: Amelia Raines

In 1798, James Rennell, an English cartographer primarily known for his maps of British territories in India and South Asia, published A map shewing the progress of discovery & improvement, in the geography of North Africa. This map combined geographical information gathered from sources spanning more than 1.5 millennia, from recent explorers all the way …