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Perhaps the most famous map of Philadelphia, the Scull & Heap map went through many editions beginning in 1752. As much of the intent of this publication was to promote the city and its surrounding regions, the map was made available for printing in a popular periodical, Gentleman's Magazine, where it appeared the next year in a reduced size. As the first edition, separately issued in Philadelphia, is extremely scarce, the Gentleman's Magazine edition is the first generally available version of this important map.
The Holme's grid plan for the city lies at the center of the map, with an open Centre Square and the Court House the only indicated features. More information is given about the surrounding regions, where roads, mills, and houses of prominent citizens are shown and named. These details give us a wealth of information about the development of the Philadelphia area in its nascent days. Especially interesting is a considerably developed Germantown, with houses lining both sides of Germantown Pike, and a table of distances from the Court House is in the lower right corner, the latter only appearing in this first edition. $1,250
'Benjamin Easburn.' "A Plan of the City of Philadelphia, the Capital of Pennsylvania, from an Actual Survey by Benjamin Easburn, Surveyor General; 1776." With inset; Joshua Fisher, "A Chart of Delaware Bay and River." London: Andrew Dury, 4th November, 1776. 19 1/2 x 26 1/4. Engraving by P. André. Very good condition. Framed.
The turbulent events leading to the American Revolution created a surge in demand for detailed information of America. No location was of greater interest than Philadelphia, the second largest city in the British Empire and the center of the political storm in the colonies. This map of Philadelphia was issued just four months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
It was based by the publisher, Andrew Dury, on a 1762 map drawn by the then Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania, Nicholas Scull. That map included in the upper left corner two insets of earlier maps of the city, one being by Benjamin Eastburn (here spelled "Easburn"), who had preceded Scull as Surveyor-General, but was dead over three decades before this map was issued. It appears Dury mistook the author of one of the insets for the author of the entire map. In any case, Dury replaced the two insets with a map more relevant to the current events, a chart of the Delaware River and Bay as far as Philadelphia drawn by Thomas Fisher. The map shows the layout of the city along the Delaware River with a western orientation. It extends as far inland as Eighth Street, indicating and naming each major building. Along the waterfront the owner of each wharf is also named. DHC OUT ON APPROVAL
Nicholas Scull & George Heap. "A Plan of the City and Environs of Philadelphia Survey'd by N. Scull and G. Heap." London: William Faden, 1777. Third state. 24 1/2 x 18. Engraving by W. Faden. Some separation at centerfold. Otherwise, very good condition. Framed to museum specifications. Snyder: 47(b); Stevens & Tree: 69(c).
When friction between Britain and the American colonies began to heat up in the 1770s, European interest in the city of Philadelphia--the political center of dissent in America--increased, resulting in a demand of images of the city. This demand was soon met by publishers in England, Germany and France with the reissue of the Scull and Heap map, still the most up-to-date cartographic rendering of Philadelphia available. The first of these reissues, and the rarest, was done by William Faden in 1777. Faden was the leading London mapmaker, having been appointed geographer to the King in 1775. The scrupulous cartographer that he was, he was careful to give credit on his plate to the pioneer American mapmakers, Nicholas Scull and George Heap. On the map the Holmes' grid plan for the city is shown situated between the rivers. In addition, numerous outlying 'country seats' are placed and named, with the primitive road system also indicated. Besides this information, Faden did some of his own updating and modifying of his progenitors' map. He took into account the changes in the place names and environs of the city since the middle of the century, and he also moved Heap's elevation of the statehouse from the top to the bottom center of the plate. The result of all this, together with the ample scale and fine engraving of Faden's plate, is a both highly attractive and important map that in its own right became the prototype for other Scull & Heap editions that soon followed. This is the third state of the map, showing the chevaux-de-frises across the river, put there as part of the defense of the city during the War, showing how up-to-date Faden's maps were. $9,500
Nicholas Scull and George Heap. "A Plan of the City and Environs of Philadelphia." Augsburg: Matthew A. Lotter, 1777. 23 1/2 x 18 (neat lines). Margins complete. Line engraving. A few stains around the elevation of the State House and spots and light browning along top margin. Archival backing for strength. Overall appearance and condition is good.
When first issued in 1752, the famous “Scull and Heap” map was intended as a promotion of William Penn’s new city on the Delaware. When the events of the American Revolution began to heat up, illustrations of the center of the revolt, Philadelphia, began to be in great demand in Europe. This demand was soon met by publishers in England, Germany and France with the reissue of the Scull and Heap map, still the most up-to-date cartographic rendering of Philadelphia available. One of the most popular of these reissues was published in 1777 by the German cartographer Matthew Lotter, which he copied closely from a William Faden map of the same year. On the map Holme's grid plan for the city is shown, situated between the rivers, and numerous outlying 'country seats' are placed and named, with the primitive road system also indicated. The map was updated from the first edition to take into account the changes in the place names and environs of the city since the middle of the century, and Heap's elevation of the statehouse was moved from the top to the bottom center of the plate. The result of all this is a highly attractive and historic map that shows Philadelphia at the time of the Revolution. $3,600
Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres. "Pennsylvania" [Delaware River from Wilmington to the Trenton area]. London: The Admiralty, 1777. Prepared for The Atlantic Neptune. Etching. 30 1/2 x 41. Colored with a light wash. Former folds reinforced; backed on archival paper. Sellers & Van Ee, 1323.
After the French & Indian War, the British began the project of mapping their vast, newly acquired lands in North America. The job of coordinating and publishing the surveys fell upon J.F.W. DesBarres, who had commanded the mapping of the coasts of eastern Canada. The resulting atlas, The Atlantic Neptune, was called by A.P. Loring "the first great marine atlas of the eastern seaboard," and Loring quotes Obadiah Rich, who called it "the most splendid collection of charts, plans and views ever published." This is a chart of the upper Delaware River from Wilmington to as far as a ship could safely float, i.e. to Trenton. Information is fairly sparse on the map because the designer was very selective about what to include. An occasional church or meeting house is shown and a few primitive town plans are depicted. Conventional symbols for swamps and waterways are shown for as much as ten miles inland. All copies of this map are characterized by a paucity of information, yet this chart would still serve to guide a ship up this narrow river. The map reflects the best British knowledge of the entrance to Philadelphia at the time of the war. $6,750
Joshua Fisher. "Baye De La Delaware." Paris: George Louis le Rouge, 1778. First state. 18 1/4 x 25. Engraving. Full margins. Strong strike on heavy paper. Excellent condition. Snyder: 265e.
The first chart of the Delaware Bay was made in 1756 by Joshua Fisher, a former hatter from Lewes. It showed the lower part of the bay and was intended to be used as a navigational aid for ships sailing toward Philadelphia. In 1775, Fisher produced an expanded chart that showed the bay and the Delaware River to just beyond Philadelphia. This was the most important map of the bay and river in the eighteenth century, and it went through many different versions, of which this is the first French version. In 1778, the French were allied with the Americans against the British, and much of their assistance took the form of naval support. Therefore it is not surprising that the French would issue their own version of the best available chart of the approaches to Philadelphia. The map is oriented to the west so that Philadelphia lies at the far right, and Cape Henlopen at the far left. Navigational information is copious in the bay, and the main shipping lane is indicated to Philadelphia, with depths indicated along it. A list of Pilots and Masters of Vessels attesting to the accuracy of the chart in included. Reflecting its source, most names appear in English, though Le Rouge has added a number of French translations. A superior chart of the approaches to Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. $2,600
John Melish. "Philadelphia, and Adjacent Country." From A Geographical Description of the United States. Philadelphia: John Melish, 1822. 5 5/8 x 3 1/8. Engraving. Very good condition.
A detailed map of the region around Philadelphia by one of the seminal figures in the history of American cartography. John Melish was the first American publisher to issue exclusively cartographic and geographic items. Born in Scotland and involved in the textile industry, Melish visited the United States several times beginning in 1806, finally deciding to settle there in 1811. Melish had made many notes on his travels about the country and in 1812 he published Travels in the United States of America, which included his first maps and which started him on his cartographic career. Then in 1816, Melish issued his Geographical Description, which contained extensive information about the entire United States and surrounding regions. For each new edition of these works, Melish would update his regional maps. This is a later version of his map of the Philadelphia region, perhaps issued shortly after Melish's death in 1822. It adds interesting details, including a mention of Chestnut Hill just beyond Germantown. $175
J. Simons. "Map of the City of Philadelphia." Philadelphia: C.P. Fessenden, 1834. Engraving. 13 1/2 x 14 (neatlines) plus margins. With folds as issued. Map has been professionally conserved. Frontispiece map for The Stranger's Guide to the City of Philadelphia.
This map is from an exquisite stranger's guide book. The publication gave a great amount of information about services and locations in this large and growing city. The maps shows a wealth of information about Philadelphia in the 1830s. Shaded areas on the map indicate where the city has been developed. The old waterworks is no longer at Center Square because it had moved out and up to Fairmount. Wards are delineated in an era when Southwark, Northern Liberties, Moyamensing, Passyunk, and Spring Garden had more autonomy before consolidation in the 1850s. An exceptionally detailed map of the city. $600
SDUK. "Philadelphia." London: Chapman & Hall, 1840. 14 3/4 x 11 3/4. Engraving. Outline color. Very good condition.
A detailed and precisely drawn map of Philadelphia by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). This wonderful English enterprise was devoted to the spreading of up-to-date information and the enhancing of understanding. The Society is noted for its excellent maps, in particular their series of city maps of all parts of the world. These maps show most streets and major buildings. This map of Philadelphia is typical of the Society's output, with clear presentation of much detail of the city. Several railroads are indicated in red, and two vignettes are included, of the U.S. Bank and the Merchant's Exchange.$375
Thomas G. Bradford. "Philadelphia." From. A Universal Illustrated Atlas. Boston: Chares D. Strong., [1838]-1842. 14 1/8 x 11 3/8. Engraving by G.W. Boynton. Original hand color. Very good condition.
A precisely engraved map by Thomas G. Bradford showing a wealth of information about Philadelphia in the early 1840s with details including individual buildings, owners of docks, and some of the earliest information on the development of West Philadelphia after the completion of the Market Street Bridge. The orientation of the map is to the west, laying emphasis on Philadelphia's waterfront. The map extends from West Philadelphia at the top to the Delaware River at the bottom, and from Dickinson at the left to Girard on the right. Bradford indicates and names streets, parks, and many public buildings. Important recent structures that are clearly delineated are the State Penitentiary, Girard College, the gas works, the House of Refuge, the Alms House, and Fairmount Waterworks. The north-south running streets west of Penn Square are identified as Schuylkill Front to Eight Streets; these streets were re-named counting from the Delaware the year after this map was issued. Also indicated are the railroad lines that were spreading rapidly in and around the city. These include the Columbia Railroad, the Baltimore Railroad and new tracks laid down Market Street. It was the development of this latter line that led to the demolition of the old Court House in 1837. $475
S. Augustus Mitchell Sr. "Philadelphia." Philadelphia: S.A. Mitchell, 1847. 15 3/4 x 12 1/2. Lithographic transfer from engraved plate. Full original hand color. Very good condition.Ref: Phillips Atlases. 797: 14.
Samuel Augustus Mitchell was born in Connecticut where he engaged in teaching. Upon discovery that the geography texts were inadequate, he wrote his own, and in 1829-30, moved to Philadelphia, then the leading publishing center in the United States. He acquired the stock and plates of Anthony Finley's publishing company and improved on those copper plate maps. He also obtained the services of J.H. Young who continued making maps for the new company. In 1846, with the issuance of his New Universal Atlas, Mitchell began using the new technique of stone lithography. This map is from the fourth edition of that atlas and shows the wards in his not yet consolidated, home city. The map was re-published in several editions and provided more readers with more information (125 identifications along the right margin) about Philadelphia than any other map of the period. $350
J.H. Colton. "Philadelphia." New York: J.H. Colton, 1856. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4. Lithograph. Original hand-coloring. Very good condition. With decorative border.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the center of map publishing in America moved from Philadelphia to New York. One of the biggest publishers who caused this shift was J.H. Colton, who copyrighted this map in 1855. The map presents the area of downtown Philadelphia showing the city divided by wards in contrasting pastel shades. Information is copious, including significant buildings and the railroad lines entering Philadelphia. This attractive map is one of the best maps of the city in the mid-nineteenth century; a worthwhile historical document. $285
"Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia." C.K. Stone & A. Pomeroy, 1860. 65 x 63. Lithograph with hand color mounted onto linen and then varnished. Varnished has oxidized and the map surface has acquired a light brown patina, as to be expected. However, map is clean and bright. Original rollers attached.
Area shown: Philadelphia County, Delaware County, eastern Chester County, Montgomery and Bucks Counties, northern part of state of Delaware, part of Burlington County, part of Gloucester County and part of Trenton. Inset maps: Philadelphia, Norristown, Conshohocken, Barren Hill, Jenkintown, Plymouth, Hatborough, Springmill, Skippackville, Pottstown.
This large, separately issued map of the area of Philadelphia, western suburbs and southern New Jersey is in surprisingly good condition. As a piece of Philadelphia history, the map stands as an early example of the fully incorporated city, with boundaries extending to its final state. Detail throughout the map is quite amazing, showing the names of specific landowners throughout the large land area as well as roads and landmarks. Also, there are various inset maps of towns in the area which are depicted in great detail. A fascinating and impressive separately-issued map for those with interest in the greater Philadelphia area. $1,400
"Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia." C.K. Stone & A. Pomeroy, 1860. 65 x 63. Lithograph with hand color mounted onto linen and then varnished. One five and one two inch tears in upper right hand portion of map; not repaired. Minor water stain at top of map and slight fraying of edges of map top left hand side. Numerous old patches on back, as to be expected. However, map is clean and bright. Original rollers attached.
Area shown: Philadelphia County, Delaware County, southern Chester, Montgomery and Bucks Counties, northern Delaware, Camden County, Salem County, Burlington County. Inset maps: Philadelphia, Trenton, Burlington, Mount Holly, Camden, Bordentown and other numerous small towns in New Jersey.
Another map by Stone & Pomeroy with a different focus and set of inset maps. $1,400
"Philadelphia and Camden." Philadelphia: S. A. Mitchell, Jr., 1872. Separately issued map, printed on bank note paper and folded into original stamped cover. 13 3/4 x 21. Lithograph. Original hand color. Very good condition.
This is a fine example of a separately issued map showing Philadelphia and the western part of Camden. At the end of the Civil War, Philadelphia was an impressive urban center, the fourth largest city in the world. Most of its important structures were located in what is now known as "Center City." This clear, colorful map focuses on that section, while including the City of Camden across the Delaware River and the area of West Philadelphia where significant expansion occurred in the 1860s and 70s. With the removal of the University of Pennsylvania from Center City to its present location there, and the preparations for the Centennial celebration in West Fairmount Park, West Philadelphia was quickly becoming urbanized. The map depicts and names streets, rail lines, and major buildings. Each ward is colored in a contrasting pastel shade. $385
O.W. Gray & Son. "Philadelphia." Philadelphia, 1876. 15 1/4 x 24 1/4 (neat lines). Lithograph. Original hand color. Full margins. Very good condition.
A handsome and detailed map of Philadelphia by O.W. Gray & Son. Gray began issuing atlases around mid-century and continued, first on his own and later as O.W. Gray & Son to the 1880s. This map shows Philadelphia at the time of the Centennial Exposition based on the detail devoted to details about the World's Fair. It also devotes much detail to Center City, the Northeast, and Camden connected by ferry boats. Much detail shows the railroads which were bringing over a million people to the Centennial grounds while influencing a burgeoning West Philadelphia The map depicts and names streets, rail lines, and major buildings. Each ward is colored in a contrasting, light pastel shade. $375
G[riffith] M[organ] Hopkins. Atlas of Philadelphia and environs: from official records, private plans, and actual surveys based upon plans deposited in the Department of Surveys surveyed & published under the direction of G.M. Hopkins, C.E., 320 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 1877. F. Bourquin Steam Lithographic Press, 31 South 6th Street, Philadelphia. Folio. Worn boards and spine; front hinge
broken. Interior clean and complete (pp. 1-25, 28, 33-87; 50 colored maps). Includes historical sketch of Montgomery County. Moak, Atlases of Pennsylvania: 407.
Areas covered in this atlas:
"New Map of Philadelphia and Vicinity." Philadelphia: J.L. Smith, 1891. Separately issued, folding map in two sheets. Each sheet ca 26 x 22. Lithograph. Original color highlights. Folding into original cloth cover. Very good condition.
The first edition of Smith's large, two-sheet folding map of Philadelphia and environs. It covers the area from Philadelphia and as as far north as North Wales, to the east as far as Moorestown, and to the west just beyond Downingtown. Major streets and some buildings are shown in the city. Extensive information is given for the surrounding area, including roads, rivers, rail lines, mills, hotels, meeting houses, and myriad other geographic details. $475
"New Map of Philadelphia and Vicinity." Separately issued, folding map in two sheets. Philadelphia: J.L. Smith, 1894. Each sheet ca. 26 x 22. Lithograph. Original color highlights. Folding into original cloth cover. Very good condition.
A large folding map of Philadelphia and the regions to the north as far as North Wales, to the east as far as Moorestown, N.J. and to the west just beyond Downingtown. Major streets and some buildings are shown in the city. Extensive information is given for the surrounding area, including roads, rivers, rail lines, mills, hotels, meeting houses and myriad other geographic details. $375
E. P. Noll. "Noll's New Road, Driving and Bicycle Map of Philadelphia and Surrounding Country." Philadelphia: E.P. Noll & Co., 1896. Cereograph printed in two colors. 30 1/4 x 28 1/4. Folded into original red cloth case with blind stamping and imprint in gold. With a number of brown spots and some minor tears at folds. Otherwise, very good condition.
An impressively detailed transportation map that shows Philadelphia and vicinity when newly paved roads were in demand because bicyclists and drivers demanded smoother surfaces. The cycling roads are highlighted by the use of red ink, and this map exhibits the extensive network of such roads in the Delaware Valley. Also shown are railroads, turnpikes, canals, churches, hotels, mills, schools, post offices and other interesting details. The small size of the booklet into which the map folds would have made this a practical item for a cyclist to carry. $275
[Elvino V. Smith?]. [Map of Philadelphia, Camden and Vicinity with emphasis on the western and northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia.] Philadelphia: Smith?, n.d. but circa 1905. Two sections measuring (left) 27 1/2 x 21 1/2 (full sheet) and (right) 27 1/4 x 23 1/2 (full sheet) cut within neatlines and title information. The two parts are attached to an art buckram case stamped in gold reading "Smith's Map of Philadelphia and Vicinity." Separately issued. Backed on linen. Excellent condition.
A large map of Philadelphia and the regions to the northwest as far out as 34 miles (Warwick), to the west to 30 miles (Kennett Square), to the north east 22 miles (Newtown), and east 14 miles (to Beverly and Moorestown, New Jersey). Major streets are shown in the city and suburbs. Extensive information is given for the surrounding area. The sheet to the right is cut down to fit uniformly with the companion map. Elvino Victor Smith is listed in various atlas directories such as those by LeGear and Moak as flourishing from 1905-31. $350
E. P. Noll. "Noll's New Automobile Road, Driving and Bicycle Map of Philadelphia and Surrounding Country." Philadelphia: Noll, 1908. Lithograph (colored). 31 x 31 1/2 (neatlines) plus full margins. Folded into original green cloth case with blind stamping and imprint in gold. Linen backing is splitting at folds and corners, as expected, but map features are clear and readable.
A later edition of the Noll driving map of Philadelphia (cf. above). The impressive road system in the Delaware Valley paved the way (so to speak) for the newly invented and mass produced automobile (added since the earlier version). The automobile roads are dramatically shown with heavy blue lines. Also shown are "common roads," turnpikes, canals, and railroads. Lighter lines and text shows community divisions, buildings, streams, and much more. $375
"New Map of Philadelphia and Vicinity." Philadelphia: J.L. Smith, 1913-14. Separately issued, folding map. 26 x 42. Lithograph. Original printed color. Folding into original cloth cover. Very good condition.
A large folding map of Philadelphia and the regions to the north as far as North Wales, to the east as far as Moorestown, and to the west just beyond Downingtown. Major streets and some buildings are shown in the city. Extensive information is given for the surrounding area, including roads, rivers, rail lines, mills, hotels, meeting houses, and myriad other geographic details. Township borders are also shown. $325
E. P. Noll. "Noll's New Automobile Road, and Driving Map of Philadelphia and Surrounding Country." Philadelphia: E.P. Noll & Co., 1920. 42 1/2 x 26. Cerograph (colored). Folded into original red cloth case with blind stamping and imprint in gold. Linen backing is splitting at folds and corners, as expected, but map features are clear and readable.
This dramatic transportation map shows Philadelphia and vicinity when newly paved roads were in demand. Earlier Noll maps had shown bicycle roads because those riders demanded smoother surfaces. The better surfaces paved the way (so to speak) for the newly invented and mass produced automobile. The automobile roads are dramatically shown with heavy red lines, and the title designates them as "good" roads. Also shown are "common roads," turnpikes, canals, and railroads. Lighter lines and text shows community divisions, buildings, streams, and much more. $375
Elvino V. Smith. "Map of Philadelphia, Camden and Vicinity . . . by Elvino V. Smith, 512-514 Walnut Street. " Credit reads, "Engraved by Albert Volk, Philadelphia." Philadelphia: E. V. Smith, 1921. 55 x 43 1/2. Chromolithograph. Full margins. Backed on linen and joined into 48 rectangles. Some wear along folds as issued. Separately issued. Very good condition.
A very large map of Philadelphia and the regions to the northwest as far as Ambler and Ft. Washington, to the northeast as far as Somerton, to the southwest just beyond Norwood in Delaware County, and to the southeast to Clementon, New Jersey. Major streets are shown in the city and suburbs. Elvino Victor Smith is listed in various atlas directories such as those by LeGear and Moak as flourishing from 1905-31. $650
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