Welcome to Original Antique Maps

Original Antique Maps specializes in American and international maps of the 18th, 19th and 20th century published close to home and as far away as the Sandwich Islands. We also concentrate on Americana, including manuscript and photographic works. We offer our clients antique maps with an eye for the art, narrative and symbolism of the times in which a map was published. The philosophy of Original Antique Maps is that antique cartographic materials are also relevant to contemporary culture and ideas.

The Original Antique Maps inventory is organized in two parts: the "General Collection" of well regarded antique maps and prints; and "The Back Room" that offers rare, scarce or one of a kind materials. The inventory changes frequently.

The Back Room is also the place to find 19th century American Wall Maps - an area of special interest. Antique American wall maps hail from a time when art and knowledge were writ large and hung on the wall, either in public places or in the privacy of the parlor. Antique wall maps are remarkable paper tapestries.

Both the General Collection and The Back Room offer geographic and thematic maps, celestial charts, nautical charts, railroad maps, travel guides and urban bird's eye views to name a few. From time to time you may find broadsides with rich compositions of type fonts, imagery and text, illustrated 19th century children's books or 19th century scientific materials and from the 20th century boldly colorful pictorial maps of places both real and imagined. What unifies this ever changing collection is that each map, print or publication is a spokesman for its time, illustrating that moment when political boundaries moved, territories grew towns, inventors introduced new technology, political sovereignty shifted or a new cultural paradigm emerged.

Behold an antique map and grasp art, science and knowledge in your hands.