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Posted by: Tim St. Onge
Fascinating maps at various scales tell the story of the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, a pivotal moment in the Civil War and the contested fight for control of New Orleans and the Mississippi River.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, Military History
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
Antonio García Cubas's 1885 "Atlas pintoresco é histórico de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos" is a vivid showcase of Mexico in the late 19th century.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, Hispanic American History
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
The tradition of Shaker cartography is explored through various 19th century maps of Shaker villages.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
An 1898 map allows for a close examination of the natural and political geography of colonization during the "Scramble for Africa" and the never-completed Cape to Cairo Railway.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, African History, Borders, Military History
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
The Panoramic Maps Collection, one of our most popular collections, features more than a thousand beautifully illustrated “bird’s-eye-view” maps of towns and cities across the United States, Canada, and even some internationally. To celebrate this collection, we are excited to launch View from Above: Exploring the Panoramic Map Collection, an interactive map that makes browsing …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, 20th century cartography, American History, City Histories, Geographic Information Science
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
For many Americans, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer, and with the holiday weekend behind us, millions will be heading to the beaches, mountains, and everywhere in between for seasonal getaways over the next few months. Some of these vacationers will be among the roughly 5 million annual visitors to the natural wonder …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, National Parks
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
There are some maps that, at first look (or second, or one-hundredth), seem to offer more questions than answers. It can surely be said that the map of nationalities in New York City, part of a series of maps from the Tenement House Committee of 1894, is one such curiosity. Looking closer at its historical …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, City Histories
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
For over one hundred years, the Panama Canal has been a world-renowned marvel of engineering, creating a vital shipping link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But at the turn of the 20th century, if it were not for some eleventh hour political maneuvering, and perhaps a very persuasive postage stamp, perhaps the famous canal …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, 20th century cartography
Posted by: Tim St. Onge
Last month, the West African nation of Liberia marked 170 years of independence. The country has a unique and complex history, with a pivotal era of its founding as a colony captured in maps. The Geography and Map Division preserves a collection of twenty maps of Liberia produced in the mid-19th century, covering several decades …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, African History