1930s Maps

Vintage Whimsical Map of Nantucket Island by Fred Gardner, 1933, a classic tourist map from the golden age of poster art, etched and printed by the young Fred Gardner on Nantucket Island, and then in this example hand colored by him and inscribed as a present to a friend. The map shows the three islands of the Nantucket archipelago, with place names and visual accents, as well as a Nantucket "coat-of-arms" of a sailor and harpooneer flanking a whale oil barrel with inscription of the island's purchase by Bartholomew Gosnold in 1609, anthropomorphic winds blowing out of the Northwest and Northeast, compass rose, ships, breaching white whale and a soaring seagull, hand signed, dated and copyrighted "(c) Fred H. Gardner, '33" in the lower left, and hand inscribed across the bottom "To Francey: Wishingf you many more enjoyable visits on this quaint island. "Freddy" August 17, 1934." The map remains in excellent condition, with the colors bold and strong with no fading whatsoever. It is mounted in a mat and gilded frame that appears from the 1970s or so. Fred Gardner, while not from Nantucket, was descended from an old island family, and summered here all his life. He was one of the first major collectors of scrimshaw, and a serious student of Nantucket history. He was a young art student when he created this map, inspired by those of his friends Austin Strong...

This vintage piece is a 1939 map of the Philippines accompanied by a census, sourced from Volume V of a book containing historical statistical information. Encased in a stylish black...

Presented is the 1932 pictorial map of the principal events in George Washington’s life from the General Drafting Company. The map displays the eastern coastline of the United States...

Crafted in Great Britain during the early 20th century, this extraordinary glass globe table lamp stands as a testament to rare and timeless design. The lamp showcases an elegant fus...

A wonderful vintage pictorial map of Nantucket Island, by Jack Atherton, 1937, simple and whimsical, showing the general lay of the land and feat...

Terrestrial globe published in the 1930s by Vallardi Editore, papier-mâché sphere covered with engraving paper on a copper plate and watercolored, turned wooden base complete with engraved brass meridian circle. Very good condition, height 57 cm, inches 22.5 - sphere diameter 27 cm, inches 10.6. Shipping is insured by Lloyd's London; it is available our free gift box (look at the last picture). The origins of the publisher Vallardi date back to 1750 when founder Francesco Cesare (1736-1799) acquired a small craft in the heart of old Milan. In the early nineteenth century, the publishing house was noted for the production of works of art, geography and science, including a "Tour of Italy" which took twenty-two printings between 1819 and 1835. The complete works of various maps and directions for travel, including timetables and fares for transportation of the time, can be considered the first modern tourist guide. The firm "Vallardi" was born in 1843 and the company became industrial, with the opening of branches on national scale.

Terrestrial globe edited by Vallardi Editore Milano in 1930s, engraved by A. Minelli, diameter of sphere cm 18 – inches 7, height cm 38 – inches 15. Wooden base and cardboard sphere covered by paper printed by engraving on a copper plate and watercoloured. Good condition. Shipping is insured by Lloyd's London; our gift box is free, see last picture. The origins of the publisher Vallardi date back to 1750 when founder Francesco Cesare (1736-1799) acquired a small craft in the heart of old Milan. In the early nineteenth century, the publishing house was noted for the production of works of art, geography and science, including a "Tour of Italy" which took twenty-two printings between 1819 and 1835. The complete works of various maps and directions for travel, including timetables and fares for transportation of the time, can be considered the first modern tourist guide. The firm "Vallardi" was born in 1843 and the company became industrial, with the opening of branches on national scale...

Offered is a stunning "Dole Map of the Hawaiian Islands'' from 1937. The work was designed by Parker Edwards and published in Honolulu by Hawaiian Pineapple C...

This pictorial souvenir map focuses on New York City and the site of the 1939 World's Fair. It was drawn by graphic artist George Annand and published by Sinclair Oil...

This 1939 Richard Edes Harrison map of New York City, published for an issue of Fortune Magazine, represents a triumph of the visual display of quantitative information. Its aesthetic impact is all the more impressive in its clear expression of municipal and demographic data, making this a map of the people of New York City, as much as of the physical city itself. The map centers on Brooklyn and Manhattan, but includes much of the surrounding burrows. The color-coded detail of the map is nothing short of an impressive work for its time. The map is color coded by residential, industrial, business, parks and parkways, airports, cemeteries, public and private institutions, and Federal Government Property. An inset map, “The Lower Half of Manhattan in Detail,” positioned below the title provides a more detailed street layout of lower Manhattan, from Central Park to Battery Park. Using a new color code for this inset map, Harrison marked the city’s most valuable real estate, including structures assessed at 5 million dollars or more. In the lower right, two comparative insert maps show the difference between day and night population densities for the entire area shown in the main map. The map also has a very decorative and unique compass rose. Within the rose’s circuit is yet another inset map, showing the limit of the main map in the context of the greater metropolitan area and the surrounding states. Harrison’s map of New York City is based mainly on a series of maps issued in 1933 by the City Planning Commission. Produced as an Emergency Relief Project, those 1933 maps illustrated the distribution of living and working populations, the age, type, and rental of buildings, and the use of land, existing streets, and waterways in great detail. Harrison’s street grid was reproduced directly from “Existing Streets 1935,” which in turn was based on the “Board of Estimate and Apportionment Map,” copyrighted in 1933 by Herman Smith. Harrison did the impressive work of designing the present map, bringing the material up to date, revising shorelines, and adding new construction from the past six years. This map appeared in only one edition, as a supplement to the July issue of Fortune magazine. OCLC lists only five examples in institutional collections. Richard Edes Harrison (1902- 1994) was an American cartographer and cartoonist. Harrison is credited with redefining cartography, by employing spherical perspective, bold shading, and graphic design to both make maps more publicly accessible. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Harrison studied design at Yale, graduating in 1923. He relocated to New York City at the height of the Great Depression and worked in industrial design. Harrison created his first cartographic work while he worked a fill-in job at Fortune magazine. The success of his first project launched a long-standing collaboration with Fortune, including expertly executed WWII maps...

Painted by an employee of the Estevan Rossetto glass blowing factory in an almost cartoonish style during the 1930, reminiscent of the style of Ludwig Bemelmans, acquired from the Pa...

This vintage map emulates a travel poster with its vibrant colors, encouraging tourism to the islands of Hawaii. The map depicts the Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lana...