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Posted by: Sonia Kahn
This blog post explores the life of notable Texas history figure, Samuel Houston, and the foundation of the city of Houston. It uses maps from our collection to showcase how Texas appeared at different points during Sam Houston's life. It also features some early maps of Houston as the city developed.
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, City Histories
Posted by: Carissa Pastuch
Elmer Simms Campbell’s pictorial night-club map showing Harlem’s hotspots for entertainment, dining, and drinking appeared as a centerfold in the January 18, 1933, edition of the short-lived weekly Manhattan Magazine. His work was an important contribution to Harlem’s cultural renaissance—it serves as a time capsule—the itinerary and guide of a typical Friday night at the …
Posted in: 20th century cartography, African American History, American History, City Histories
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: Sonia Kahn
Today on Halloween children often dress up as witches and wizards with brimmed hats and broom sticks. Many find joy in the celebration of all things spooky by donning a costume and an alternate identity for a single night. Of course 300 plus years ago this innocuous enough tradition was non-existent. No, in fact, quite …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, City Histories
Posted by: Cynthia Smith
Edo (present day Tokyo) served as the seat of the Tokugawa Shogunate from 1603 to 1867. During the Tokugawa period, the Tokaido Highroad was the most important route in Japan. The Tokaido road stretched over 300 miles from Edo to the capital city of Kyoto. A cartographer named Ochikochi Doin surveyed the route in 1651. …
Posted in: 17th century cartography, Asian History, Biography, City Histories, Manuscripts
Posted by: Carissa Pastuch
Last Monday Americans gathered again after a two-year hiatus to celebrate America’s independence from Great Britain. Flags and fireworks flew over our nation’s capital to mark the anniversary of when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), which announced the colonies’ separation from Great Britain, and precipitated the American …
Posted in: 18th century cartography, American History, City Histories
Posted by: Sonia Kahn
On a recent trip to New York City, I frequently found myself in the underbelly of the city, submerged below the hustle and bustle as I was transported up and down Manhattan. I couldn’t help but notice while I was visiting how the now antique mosaics depicting station names give the subway system character. It’s …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, 20th century cartography, City Histories
Posted by: Carissa Pastuch
During the month of April, the Library of Congress celebrated the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903), farmer, journalist, publisher, conservationist, and the first American landscape architect, who designed the grounds surrounding the U.S. Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and many other notable public and private green spaces. To celebrate, the Great Hall …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, American History, City Histories
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 …
Posted in: 19th century cartography, City Histories