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Three Historic Mapping Resources



Map of Afghanistan, 1878 (Only a portion of the map is shown.)

With the cartographer’s current obsession with de-inking, modernizing, and subduing cartography, it can be refreshing to re-familiarize ourselves with historical maps that were of a decidedly more-inked flavor. Here are some resources for refreshment along that vein:

  • A multitudinous collection of selected title headings from Sanborn fire insurance maps at BibliOdyssey provides inspiration for those needing to add historic touches to their map work. This collection is also interesting from the standpoint of just how many different ways you can create a flashy title header.
  • You can download a historical symbol set for ArcGIS here. I particularly like the north arrow options and the textured ocean background.
  • And of course do not forget to look at the David Rumsey collection of historical 18th and 19th maps. This is an amazingly rich source for research and inspiration.

This entry was posted on May 15, 2011, 2:02 pm and is filed under Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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