About Maps Page

The art of cartography by the early map makers is a fascinating subject, enjoyed not only by serious map collectors but also by anybody with an interest in where they were born or where they live.

Genuine antique maps are of great historical and geographical interest they are also a good talking point and decorative feature in any home. They are also quite underrated when you consider, for example, that a map as early as c.1572 can cost as little as £85.00. Figure 1 - Sebastian Munster of Part of Germany.

When choosing a map for the first time there are a number of factors you might like to consider, for example: how it was printed; what it was printed on; how it was coloured, and maybe a few details about the person who produced the map.

There are numerous sources of information on these subjects our aim here is merely to provide you with a brief introduction to these factors.

Printing Methods

Possibly the earliest known printed maps would have been produced by Woodcuts (Figure 2). That is they were printed from wooden blocks the features to be shown standing above the block surface, this raised image would be inked before being impressed on damp paper.

This method of printing was superseded from the mid sixteenth century by Copperplate engraving (Figure 3). Here the image was engraved directly into the plate, the ink would submerge into the engraved area and after the surface area was wiped clean the engraving would be imprinted onto damp paper. The Copper plate was much more flexible than wood block and produced a finer more accurate image.

Steelplate began to replace copper from about 1820, this was a cheaper and more durable metal than copperplate and it allowed for even finer line work in the engraving (Figure 4).

From the mid nineteenth century Lithography started to replace Copper and Steelplate (Figure 5). This process was much faster than it’s fore runners and allowed information to be up-dated at regular intervals. With the introduction of photo lithography the map engravers job became redundant and the craft died.

Types of paper

Although maps have been known to have been reproduced on Vellum, Silk and Cotton Cloth, most maps were printed on paper.

Early hand made paper was manufactured from pulp made from rags. To identify early hand made paper you need to hold it up to the light to see the wire grid lines and the paper makers identification symbol.

Towards the late 18th Century Machine Made paper came into use, this had a finer smoother texture, but it was not until the early 19th Century that paper became whiter with the introduction of bleached paper.

Colour

Antique maps were originally printed in black and white and colour was added by hand, usually by a skilled professional. map makers sold their maps uncoloured, but would hand colour at a later date by special request (Figure 6). Although most early colour is expertly done, some colouring was undertaken ‘on - the - cheap’ often employing children and encouraging ‘home colouring’ .

The introduction of machine colour came about around the 1880’s when colour lithography came into being. Machine colour is generally flat and uniform (Figure 7).

Coloured maps are obviously more saleable, easier to read and more attractive. For these reasons modern colouring of maps is still carried out today, by professional colourists.

Map Makers

The name attributed to any particular map may be that of the map maker, engraver, or publisher. This indeed could be one and the same person.

In general terms the map maker surveys and compiles, usually from existing information, draught copies of the area to be mapped. The engraver interprets the information onto the medium to be used. The publisher oversees the work of both the map maker and engraver and organises the sale of the maps.

It is not our intention to list all notable map makers, engravers and publishers at this stage, but merely to provide some examples of well known names and a short description of how they were involved in the map trade.

John Speed (born Cheshire, England 1552 - 1629)

Although John Speed did produce maps of all parts of the world he is probably more renowned for his English County Maps. A surveyor and historian, he did not engrave or publish his own work. He did, however, introduce heraldry, town plans, and ornamentation to his cartographic representations, consequently his maps are highly decorative and sought after (Figure 8).

Willem Blaeu (born Amsterdam, 1571)

A Dutch engraver and publisher who was responsible for producing some of the finest maps of the period. The quality of his engravings and sense of design in both World and English County Maps has rarely been surpassed. He produced a series of County Maps after Speed, and although they used the same information including the Heraldry they recomposed the presentation to give an entirely different map (Figure 9).

Jan Jansson (born Arnhem, 1596)

Like Blaeu, Jansson was a Dutch engraver and publisher. He produced maps of the English and Welsh Counties in a similar style to those of Blaeu’s. He also produced maps of all parts of the world (Figure 10).

Thomas Moule (flourished 1822 - 1842)

A publisher and scholar Thomas Moule was also a writer on Heraldry. He produced a set of popular maps from 1830 and as a complete work from 1837 based mainly on his own observations. They were very decorative steel plate engravings and were richly decorated with armorials and crests, vignettes of local scenes and buildings (Figure 11).

John Tallis (flourished 1850)

A publisher who produced a decorative series of maps of all parts of the world, these were embellished with scenic images and pictures of natives and animals. Tallis also produced some very good town plans and although these were not as decorative as the world maps they still had views and a border (Figure 12).