1885 Panoramic Map of Birmingham Alabama

This 53" x 36" 'panoramic' style map of Birmingham Alabama in 1885 is a classic of the panoramic citymap style of the period. Featuring an oblique birds-eye view of the City, as though viewed from a few hundred feet up, the map depicts streets and street names, individual houses and buildings, railroads, topography and woodlands with a high-degree of historical accuracy. The edges of the map feature 16 drawings of notable features of Birmingham, including commercial and industrial buildings, a map of Lakeview Park and Highland Avenue, and a depiction of the Alabama Coal Fields with Birmingham at the center. Also included at the bottom is a list of local businesses and their proprietors, and a long list of local notable sites, denoted A-J and 2-35, which correspond to letters and numbers on the map. (Finding the corresponding letters and numbers requires some sleuthing and is a lot of fun. Party game, anyone?) 

The map is printed on Arches BFK Rives 100% Cotton Rag paper, handmade at the Blanchet Frères & Kléber paper mill in Rives, France on a traditional cylinder paper mould. The subtle pattern of the paper fibers is visible in oblique lighting, and lends a rich and elegant appearance to the whole piece. A small piece of the original map above the word "BIRMINGHAM" was torn away, and we have not digitally eliminated this or other blemishes in the original work.   

* NOTE: This is a carefully crafted print of the highest quality, but it is not the original work.

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