123 Items Tagged

Map Monday

This map of Chicago's gangs was tucked away in the back pocket of Frederic Thrasher's 1927 book <em>The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago.</em>

A 1927 Map Reveals the Hide-Outs of Chicago's Most Notorious Gangsters

Drawn by hand, one sociologist detailed the whereabouts of over 1,300 active criminal enterprises.

Lauren Young January 23, 2017

In Oscar Newman's sci-fi fantasy, New York City has a nuclear metropolis deep underground.

One Architect's Spectacular Vision for a Spherical Subterranean City

New Yorkers would weather nuclear attack in an underground metropolis.

Lauren Young January 16, 2017

A "Bird's Eye View" map of New Hampshire's White Mountains, centering the summit of Mount Washington.

The 'Balloon Maps' That Aided Exploration, War, And Tourism

See the world from the basket of a hot air balloon.

Cara Giaimo January 9, 2017

<em>Gastronomical Map of France</em> by Jean François Tourcaty.

From Bordeaux to Brie, This Map Plots the Origin of Your Favorite French Food

This 1809 food map sought to prove that France was the culinary leader of the world.

Mariana Zapata December 19, 2016

The map shown in full.

In 1562 Map-Makers Thought America Was Full of Mermaids, Giants, and Dragons

Sea serpents, cannibals, and one of the earliest mentions of California are features of this spectacular map.

Lauren Young December 12, 2016

<em>Allegorical Map of Youth's Journey to the Country of Happiness</em> by Auguste-Jacques Lemiere-d’Ary.

Young, Lost, and Hopeless? This Map Will Show You the Way to Happiness

The Ocean of Experience will apparently kick you around, then give you honey and gold mines.

Mariana Zapata December 5, 2016

Illustration of Draft Riots, Harper's Weekly, August 1, 1863 Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas by Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, published by University of California Press

New York City's History of Resistance, in One Riotous Map

New Yorkers rebelled dozens of times between 1712 and 2013.

Sarah Laskow November 28, 2016

<em>The Metropolis 2108</em> by Rick Meyerowitz.

Mapping the Watery Future of New York City

What will happen to the city when the polar ice caps melt?

Mariana Zapata November 21, 2016

Shanghai, a diorama map comprised of tiny contact print photographs.

These Maps Capture the Spirit of Cities By Collaging Their Hidden Details

This photographer weaves intimate scenes into monochromatic panoramas of massive metropolises.

Lauren Young November 14, 2016

This type of map was also known as a "persuasive map."

The 1915 Map That Helped All Women Get the Vote

Suffrage maps appeared on drinking glasses, baseball programs, parade floats, and sandwich boards.

Tao Tao Holmes November 7, 2016

<em> 3 Roads to Eternity</em> by François Georgin.

This Map Shows The Future of Your Immortal Soul

Just in case you needed a reminder that you are most likely on the road to damnation.

Mariana Zapata October 31, 2016

Chart 49. A print of the copperplate engraving of Johann Bayer's 1661 edition of <em>Uranometria</em>, which depicts 12 new constellations.

The Exquisite Drawings from the First Map of the Entire Sky

Johann Bayer's star maps depict the mythological beasts and characters on both celestial spheres.

Lauren Young October 24, 2016

The Land of Make Believe by Jaro Hess. (All photos courtesy of

Where the Heroes of Your Favorite Fairy Tales Live

The dark and wondrous world of children's stories.

Mariana Zapata October 17, 2016

The 1848 woodblock print “Portrayal of Mount Fuji” (Fujisan no zu) by Utagawa Sadahide, featured in Cartographic Japan: A History in Maps published by the University of Chicago Press.

A Religious Cult Believed They Could Be Reborn Inside Mount Fuji's 'Womb Caves'

A 19th-century map describes a hidden network of lava caves.

Lauren Young October 10, 2016

These Utopian City Maps Have Influenced Urban Planners for Over a Century

Ebenezer Howard's Garden Cities are now embedded into London and New York.

Sarah Laskow September 12, 2016

Behold a Glorious Vintage Map of Yosemite National Park

Can you find your favorite spots in this 85-year-old artistic map?

Atlas Obscura August 29, 2016

This Cartoonist Mapped the Tumultuous World of 1920s Greenwich Village

The neighborhood teemed with "temperamental intellectuals."

Lauren Young August 22, 2016

This James Bond Map Will Teach You How to Become a Spy

Where 007 drank, killed and shagged, mapped.

Sarah Durn August 15, 2016