Recently, I was speaking to a woman about what I do. After I told her that I work with maps, she responded, I love maps! They're so beautiful. I'd love to get a framed one for my living room.
To me, this comment highlights a shift in the way that we view maps. Now that we live in the era of GPS and Google Maps, the printed map has become more valued for its aesthetics than its functional capabilities. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it made me want to highlight some of the maps in our collection that I think are interesting because of the data that they impart, as opposed to the way that they look.
However, they're still beautiful enough to frame!
First up, a map from the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey, an agency responsible for creating nautical charts of the United States. These maps show ocean depths, tidal and current information, and seafloor terrain.
Detail from the same map. The numbers you see on the map are called soundings, and they represent water depths. The soundings on this map are expressed in feet and in fathoms; I can't imagine how much work it took to get these measurements! Also note buoys in the lower left portion of the map.
Detail from the same map. Note the depth of dredging in the harbor.
The next map shows the line of the Brooklyn Water Works in 1885. The Water Works supplied water to the City of Brooklyn via an intricate system of reservoirs and pumping stations.
Detail from the same map:
Detail from the same map. If you look closely, you can see the watermark on the paper near the top of the image.
Next, a personal favorite. This map is from 1902 and shows sewer construction throughout Brooklyn. Note the large areas of Brooklyn that had very limited sewer systems during this time period.
Detail from the same map:
Detail of the Bay Ridge Fort Hamilton area from the same map:
The next map is from the 1930s and was produced by the Brooklyn Union Gas Company. It tells residents when their districts will be converted to natural gas.
Detail from the same map:
Finally, a map from 1949 showing construction of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway from Hamilton Ave. to Kent Ave. This is the only map in our collection from this time period that shows the BQE as well as the underlying skeleton of the city.
Detail from the same map:
Detail from the same map:
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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