All posts filed under: Historical Maps

Historical Map: Railways of London, showing the Metropolitan and District Lines, 1889

January 10, 2013
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One last post for the Tube’s 150th birthday (it’s still the 9th of January here on the West Coast of the United States!). This is the oldest map I can find that shows what would later be known as the London Underground: an 1889 map of London’s railways – still some 26 years after the first part of the Metropolitan Line opened. Main line routes are shown in red and the newfangled “underground lines” are […]

Historic Map: Mid-1980s Glasgow Underground Map

January 4, 2013
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Still in situ at the West Street station. For me, this could be dated to the mid-1980s just by the illustration style alone: this scratchy detailed-but-slightly-cartoony style was all the rage then, and could be found in just about every clip art book of the period (back when you actually physically cut or “clipped” the art from a page!). Source: neate photos/Flickr

London Underground Map Tin in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, “The Snowmen”

December 29, 2012
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It’s not very often I get to combine two of my absolute favourite things in one post: Doctor Who and transit maps! Without giving too much away (spoilers, sweetie!), the tin is presented in-story as being from 1967, and it looks like the BBC props department did a pretty decent job. The map shown on the tin is indeed Paul Garbutt’s 1964 map, which can be differentiated from the very similar 1970 map – even on-screen […]

Historical Map: 1949 London Underground Quad Royal Poster

November 15, 2012
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This photo, shared by Flickr user IsarSteve, shows an absolutely amazing discovery. Construction work at the Knightsbridge Underground station in 1996 uncovered this stunning 1949 quad royal* poster of the Tube map. It looks as if the workers know they’ve found something wonderful as well, judging by the yellow and black warning tape surrounding the frame. For many, the 1949 tube map is the apotheosis of the Beck style, with his ruthless quest for simplification […]

Historical Map: Moscow Metro, 1980

November 14, 2012
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Here’s a beautiful map of the Moscow Metro from 1980 that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it’s an official map, as it looks quite different to other Moscow maps of the same vintage. The archive I found the map in also lists it as “Source Unknown”. It appears to have been printed on the flyleaf of a pocket-sized book, bound to the book’s front cover on the left half, with the […]

Photo – Historical Map: Paris Métro Ligne 12 Strip Map

November 13, 2012
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Here’s a beautiful old strip map of the Paris Métro’s Ligne 12, which runs from Mairie d’Issy to Porte de la Chapelle. This map is located in one of the few remaining old Sprague-Thomson cars, once the workhorse of the Métro. The fact that Rennes station is crossed out dates the map from between World War II, when it was closed, and September 1968, when it was (finally) reopened. Judging by the general aesthetics and […]

Historical Map: Transportation Map of Greater Winnipeg, 1941

October 30, 2012
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Here’s another beautiful vintage transit map, this time from Winnipeg, Canada. It’s around the same age as this great map from Portland, Oregon, and displays a similarly austere wartime aesthetic. The map is printed in just three colours (black, red and green) and – apart from some of the typography in the legend –  is entirely hand-drawn and lettered. Important buildings and points of interest are all carefully and charmingly rendered, but the real winners […]

Historical Map: Perth and Suburban Districts Showing Tramway Routes

October 26, 2012
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The extent of the tramway system in Perth, Australia in the 30s and 40s before it was all ripped up in 1958. Ironically, the State Government wants to build a new tram network over 50 years later. Transit Maps says: Sweet old school tram map, with routes simply and clearly overprinted in bold red on top of a street map. Perth certainly isn’t alone in rebuilding what once existed: this type of urban renewal through […]

Historical Map: Boston Commuter Rail, 1976

October 8, 2012
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Here’s a fine piece of mid-1970s transit map design, showing Boston’s extensive commuter rail network. Its style is definitely in line with other North American maps of this period, including this one of Philadelphia’s SEPTA system from 1980 – sharp lines and clean typography were the order of the day back then, it seems. Have we been there? I’ve been to Boston, but haven’t used the commuter rail system. What we like: Clean, clear and […]