Picturing the City: Illustrated Maps of NYC

The New York Public Library’s extensive map collection includes a treasure trove of artistically creative cartography. When maps are embellished with pictures, as they have been since mapping began, we receive geographic information in richer, more engaging ways. Illustrated maps of New York are especially effective in offering exuberant and evolving views of a burgeoning metropolis. It seems only right, after all, that such a flourishing city be depicted with all manner of visual flourishes.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.