CITY PLANS

This page was last updated in Winter 2008

To order please contact us at beachmap@sympatico.ca

All prices are in US dollars

George 

Daniel Meisner was a Bohemian artist and topographer who produced a very distinctive series of  town plans in his 'Thesauras Philo. Politicus....Schatzkastlein' first published in 1623. Other plans were added over the years and the title changed to 'Sciographica Cosmica' in 1642. These lovely copper engravings measure 4" by 6" and have become highly valued by today's collectors.

Braun and Frans Hogenberg were responsible for the finest and most sought after series of city plans ever issued  with their Civitates Orbis Terrarum , published between 1573 and 1618. We are offering the following cities (or collection of cities) at very reasonable prices. Some have old hand colouring, some more recent hand colouring and some are in original black and white. Sizes vary very slightly but generally are 14" by 20" with a centrefold. All are in at least very good condition and further questions can be directed to us at  beachmap@sympatico.ca

The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge published some superbly detailed and quite decorative city maps between 1834 and 1860. Each edition would add new cities and over 50 maps were engraved by J. & C. Walker during this period. The engraving is of the highest standard with the smallest streets standing out clearly. Often key buildings or a panorama have been added at the bottom of the map and the total effect with original hand colour is extremely pleasing. The size averages 15" by 13". We offer the following from the 1844 and 1848 editions and although all are complete, some maps have repaired short tears in the margins or have no blank margins on one side. Condition varies quite a bit so please check with us.. The images have been taken under poor lighting conditions and the maps are better than they look.

Luigi Guicciardini was an Italian cosmographer and geographer who worked in the Low Countries and died in Antwerp in 1589. His major work was 'Descrittione de Tutti i Paesi Bassi', first published in 1567. This work influenced Braun & Hogenberg among others. These city plans come from a 1587 edition of that work and vary in size from 9" by 6.5" to 9" by 13". Many have hand colouring.

Much larger and more decorative than most city plans are the splendid maps by J. Basire for Rapin/Tyndal's 'History of England' published c1740. The maps average 15" by 19".

The Harrewyn family ( Jacques, Jacques-Gerard, Francois and Jean Baptiste) were engravers from Brussels who produced a series of very attractive plans of fortified cities in the Low Countries c1720. The maps measure 5.5" by 8" and have fine wash hand colouring.

A & C Black (1852)  were a successful Scottish publishing company who also produced atlases and travel guides. These detailed little maps were engraved by John Bartholomew, later to start his own prolific map publishing business. The maps vary a little in size but average 6" by 8". They have outline hand colouring.

Matthaus Merian (1672) - These copperplate city plans are quite famous and come from 'Theatrum Europaeum'. Merian was a topographical engraver and publisher who worked in Frankfurt and his work was so highly valued that it was published long after his death in 1650. The maps measure 11" by 14".

G. Cram (1885 -1894) - These maps measure about 13" by 10" and have original printed colour. Although rather plain, for some cities they represent one of the few genuinely antique maps generally available.

Rand, McNally (1895)  -  These famous mapmakers produced a series of city plans in their 'Atlas of the World'. They are detailed and quite attractive despite their relative youth, containing insets and street details in the margins. Size is 11" by 14" . Please note that maps are too large to fit our scanner and only part of the map is shown here.

George W. Bacon issued a splendid 'Atlas of the British Isles' in 1893 and the town plans which they included were probably the last hand coloured detailed ones before the massive changes of the twentieth century. The maps are double page, measuring 12.5" by 19" so the scanned images can only show part of most of them. All have been fully annotated with street names.

J. Tallis (1851) and T. Moule (1842) produced a few very decorative city plans to add to their publications. Most of these were of English cities and we offer a small selection below.

Return to Home Page

Copyright (c) 2008, Beach Antique Maps & Prints