Osher Map Library at U of Southern Main is now Open

The Osher Map Library (OML) and Smith Cartographic Center at the University of Southern Maine reopened in October after being closed for two years while it was expanded. Two new public spaces - a contemporary exhibition gallery and a multipurpose room where the children started their tour - are part of a $12.3 million, three-story renovation designed by Koetter Kim & Associates of Boston. The project quadrupled the library’s size, from 4,500 to 19,500 square feet, adding advanced security systems and a 7,500-square-foot climate-controlled vault made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Read the full article at the Boston Globe Website


Osher Map Library and Smith Cartographic Center
University of Southern Maine
16 Bedford St., Portland
207-780-4850
www.usm.maine.edu/maps
Tuesday-Thursday 1-4 p.m.

Antique Historical Map Projections Book

Short video on the release of our new Antique and Historical World Projection Maps from 1500-1900s book. 36 page royalty free book with 12 of our Vintage Projection Map in several different sizes. Perfect for art projects, artist trading cards (ATC), scrapbooking, heritage books, school projects. Use one for a background, collage elements or just for viewing. Printed in high res format or in a downloadable version from lulu.com

To purchase just click this link or the picture over in the sidebar area, Antique World Projection Clip Art Maps Book

Antique Historical World Projection Maps Now in a Paperback Version

We have just published our latest book, a royalty free clip art collection of our Antique and Historical World Projection Maps from 1500-1900s.

This 36 page book is full of our world projections vintage maps and is perfect for graphic design, illustration, web sites, scrapbooking, artist trading card, craft, family heritage books, genealogy, memories, digital scrapbooking and educational projects.

Three different sizes of each map are included, full page, half page and artist trading card size. It contains 12 vintage maps in high res format perfect for your next project, just cut them out and drop into your projects.

Maps come from the US Library of Congress Geography and Map division's historical map collections. Maps still retain the lumps and bumps of time. We have done minimal editing to the maps, preferring to keep them as real as possible. You can still see the stain and mold markings, tears and rips from time gone by which will give your projects that wonderful antique feel. The book is available from www.lulu.com in a paperback or downloaded version.

To purchase just click this link. Antique World Projection Clip Art Maps Book

Cool Use for Antique Historical Maps

We have a little box in our sign up form for readers to drop in how they are using Antique Maps or what kind of map they are looking for. We get all kinds of responses and interesting comments. Project include, craft projects, murals, business cards, websites, it just goes on and on. One of our readers wrote us that she what working on a painting project to convert an existing globe into an antique one. She has finished the project and sent us a picture, how cool. We love hearing from our readers and would love to see what kind of projects people are working on. Send them in and we will put them up.

Sardinia from the 1890 Italy Map

Sardinia, detail from our 1890 Italy map. Sardinia is a 24,090 square kilometeres or 9,301 sq mile island of the western side of Italy. It is surrounded by Corsica on the north Italy o n the east and Tunisia below. It is a constitutional part of Italy, with special statute of regional autonomy under the Italian Constitution. It is a pretty rocky ancient land and the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Agriculture, some chemical, services, and lots of tourism make up the economy of the island. Population is about 1.6 million.

Vintage Map of Italy 1890

Vintage map of Italy from 1890, by J Bartholomew, E.R.G.S., originally published by A & G. Black, Edinburgh. Showing Italy, Sarginia, and Sicily. One of a number of country maps from our Antique Historical Map collection.

Boat Detail from the 1550 Western Hemisphere Map

Ship detail from the 1550 Western Hemisphere map by German cartographer, Sebastian Munster.

Sebastien Munster, German Cartographer, 1488-152

Sebastien Munster, born 1488 at Ingrelheim, Germany. Famous for his book Cosmographia, one of the best selling books in the 16th century. He also wrote Dictionarium trilingue and Mappa Europae. He died from the plaque in 1552.

Western Hemisphere 1550

Map of Western Hemisphere, 1550 by Sebastian Munster, 1489-1552, a German cartographer, cosmographer and a Hebrew scholar. He is know for his work Cosmographia which is the earliest German description of the world. Cosmographia was one of the most successful and popular books of the 16th century. Published into many languages including Latin, French, and English.

1664 World Projection Map by Joan Blaeu

Note the age of the characters along the bottom of this 1664 world projection map by Joan Blaeu. Going from left to right we have spring as a youthful woman with flowers, then a woman crowned with grain representing summer, autumn is a mature woman with a fall harvest and finally on the right is an old man warming himself by a fire. Maps were often filled with classical Greek and Roman mythological images. Many representing the seasons, differences in the continents and elements from the Greek beliefs of nature made up of earth, fire, water and air.

British Isles, 1783

A 1783 map of the British Isles. Includes England, Scotland, and Ireland listing the counties or shires, major cities and towns. Originally published in Paris.

Detail From 1700's Germany Map

Detail from Imperium Romano-Germanicum, Germany, Cartographer Johann Baptist Homann, 1663-1724. Hand colored.

Vintage Europe and South America Map

Europe in 1600, British Isles in 1801, South America 1733 and Italy 1890, antique maps all from our Antique Historical royalty free, clip art map collection. The collection contains hi and low res jpg images, and are perfect for graphic design projects, maybe creating a mural, artwork in a new book, or wine label. The collection comes on 3 cds plus a bonus 4th cd that contains our World of Maps editable eps Adobe Illustrator collection. Maps from World, North America, US, Africa, Asia, Europe, some countries, states and cities.

Historical Vintage Maps From Africa, Asia, and the Middle East

We continue with sample vintage maps from around the world from our royalty free Antique Historical Clip Art Map Collection. Above we see Africa from 1688, an Asia map from 1680, Palestine in 1650, this is a very cool map with pictures of the Apostles around the edges, and Australia in 1818. I am often amazed at the level of detail these maps contain especially in that there were no airplanes or satellites to look down from above. Yes some was made up, but still they are very cool.

Antique Historical North American Maps

Samples from our Antique Historical Clip Art Map Collection. These samples include a North America map form 1826, a US maps from 1793, New Spain from 1671 and a North America from 1685. All of these maps are available in our collection either at www.mapsfordesign.com or on Amazon. Also be sure to sign up for some free samples and more details

Antique World Projection Maps

We are please to announce that Amazon.com is now carrying our Antique Historical Clip Art map collection. Above are some images of several of the World Projection images from collection. The CD can still be ordered from our own site www.MapsforDesign.com, as well. You can see the link for Amazon over on the right. Remember the collection also comes with a bonus disc of our Adobe Illustrator eps World of Maps Collection.

World of Maps Clip Art CD Now Shipping

The CD for our editable World of Maps clip art collection is now shipping. This is part of a large upgrade we have been working on and the CD portion is now complete. The new CD now has over 90 countries on it. All in editable format for PowerPoint and Adobe Illustrator.

World of Maps is perfect for business presentations, illustrations, web sites and education. All text, countries, states, counties are editable and easy to customize. The web site upgrade will be closely behind, but we are thrilled to be able to ship the CD.

To check it out visit our www.mapsfordesign.com site

2009 Antique Map Calendar Now Shipping

We are pleased to announce the release of our 2009 Antique Historical Maps Calendar.

See the world in the 2009 Antique Historical Calendar from www.antiquehistoricalmaps.com. Includes World map projections from 1595 and 1664, Africa of 1660, a cool Asia map from 1570. France of 1724, scenes from Palestine in 1720, North America at 1652 and the Western Hemisphere in 1550, US Southern States 1657, Texas of 1866, a really cool map of 166? Jerusalem and Antarctica in 1912. United States and United Kingdom holidays.

Printed: 13 pages, 13.5" x 19", coil binding, white interior paper (100# weight), full-color interior ink
To pick up your copy of our Antique Historical 2009 Calendar click here: http://stores.lulu.com/mapsfordesign

Antique Vintage Map from 1664

Cool vintage, antique, royalty free map from 1664. This map is full of all kinds of cool details that can be cut out and used for your projects. Maps come in 300 dpi digital jpg, rgb form. Perfect for all kinds of scrapbooking, artist cards, collages, graphic design, illustration and web projects. Build a memory book of your roots with a section of one of our maps.

See some of the cool details below from this map. Check out our free samples, just sign in over on the right.

Scrapbooking Ideas for Cool Pages

Couldn't you just see this detail from one of our royalty free antique maps on your scrapbook pages. Pretty neat. Detail from vintage World Projection map from 1664.