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Category: 19th century cartography

A hand drawn map showing the battle of Antietam. Colorful with the river running down the center of the map.

Antietam: “The Most Terrible Battle of the Age”

Posted by: Julie Stoner

This is a guest post by Manuscript Division reference librarian Lara Szypszak. On September 17, 1862, Union and Confederate forces met just outside the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle, known by Union forces as the Battle of Antietam (after the nearby creek) and by the Confederates as the Battle of Sharpsburg (after the nearest …

Detailed building level map showing the block with the Library of Congress. Buildings colored according to building material.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – An Orientation and New GIS Tools

Posted by: Julie Stoner

Please join us for the second session in a new series of virtual orientations for the Geography and Map Division, focusing on our collection of fire insurance maps! Date: Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm (Eastern) Location: Zoom Register Here Reference librarians Amelia Raines and Julie Stoner will present an introduction to the fire insurance maps housed …

View of completed St. Louis Bridge, with steamboats in Mississippi River, surrounded by eight views of stages of bridge construction, based on photographs taken in 1874 by R. Benecke, sections of pier and machinery.

Pictorial St. Louis – The Great Metropolis of the Mississippi Valley

Posted by: Julie Stoner

The panoramic map was a popular cartographic form used to depict U.S. and Canadian cities and towns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Known also as bird’s-eye views, perspective maps, or aero views, panoramic maps are nonphotographic representations of cities portrayed as if viewed from above at an oblique angle. Typically printed on …

Circular world map with cherubs blowing wind towards it illuminated in gold.

Magnificent Maps From the World Digital Library

Posted by: Julie Stoner

Launched in 2009, the World Digital Library [WDL] was a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and contributions from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations around the world. The WDL sought to preserve and share some of the world’s most important cultural objects, increasing access to cultural …