1893 Map of Mount Desert Island, Maine

An heirloom-quality 36" x 45" print reproduction map of Mount Desert Island, Maine - the area that would later become Acadia National Park. Made by W.H. Munroe of Delaware and compiled by Edward Rand for his Flora of Mount Desert Island, using topography from the U.S. Coast Guard's surveys. 

We reviewed dozens of maps of Mount Desert Island from the early 1700s through the 1970s, and this one is our very favorite. We love the level of detail - peaks, lighthouses, beaches, shoals, trails, meadows, marshes, roads and settlements - all clearly marked, yet without overwhelming the eye. This is where the art of the cartographer shows through. The star of the show on this map is the topography of the island, and the delicately-rendered 20-foot contours are perfect for making the high peaks of the island pop, without becoming indistinguishable. Unlike more modern topographic maps, vertical cliffs are shown using hachure which is carefully integrated into the contour lines. It's a pretty cool mash-up of the two methods of depicting topography that we haven't really seen elsewhere. 

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 faintly visible with oblique lighting, and lends a nice cloth-like appearance to the whole piece. The print has a lovely heft and suppleness, and will look good in just about any framing method. We like the browned coloration that aging produced in the original map, and we're happy with how well that is reproduced on this print. It lends a gravitas to the piece that you're always hoping for in a vintage artwork. 

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

**About our Dark Poplar & Antique Brass Hanging Frames

Here's a little more history, compliments of geographicus.com: "Edward Lothrop Rand (August 22, 1859 - October 9, 1924) was an American botanist, lawyer and cartographer. Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, Rand... attended Harvard University and graduated in 1881 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1884 and went on to practice law in Boston, but his true passion in life was botany. Rand was famous on Mount Desert Island as one of the members of the Champlain Society and as the first Chairman of the Path Committee on Mount Desert Island. He co-authored Flora of Mount Desert Island, Maine with J.H. Redfield and created the map of Mount Desert Island with Waldron Bates and Herbert Jaques."