Old Map of New York City (Historic Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City)

Prepare to be transported back in time by this unparalleled map of New York City. For its detail and grandeur, Bernard Ratzer's 1767 Plan of the City of New York is without question the most decorative historic NYC map and an artistic triumph of the highest order. This is arguably the finest map of any American city published in the 18th Century. 

We have reprinted this delightfully colorful 36" x 48" edition on sumptuous, heirloom-worthy cotton rag paper and museum-grade inks. Our map papers are handmade in France at a renowned paper mill that has been operating since the 1400s. When quality matters, there is no rival to our prints.  

With UnConformity's 1767 NYC map, you are getting the highest-quality cartographic print available. Period. 

*We take pride in the careful crafting of our fine prints. Please allow two weeks for production & delivery. 

*Interested in a unique and centerpiece-worthy framing option that shows off your map's subtle texture and detail? Introducing our custom "Old School" Map Hangers. Individually handcrafted in SLC, Utah from sustainably-harvested wood and antique brass, they look phenomenal and are a great value for displaying a full-size vintage map. 

About The Map

Ratzer was a lieutenant and cartographer in the British Army, who was directed to conduct the survey of New York in response to the Stamp Act Riots of 1765, as British leaders accurately feared the city could soon become a battleground. The resulting map, published in 1767, was by far the most accurate published plan of the city at this critical time in history, and is perhaps the finest for an American city produced in the eighteenth century.

The geographical precision combined with highly artistic engraving was unsurpassed in the urban cartography of its day, and certainly was unparalleled when compared to the study of any other American city. This was the primary map utilized by the British Forces during the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776. The first battles of the American Revolution took place within the geographic bounds of the map.

The map depicts common lands, hills, fields, marshes, salt meadows, gardens and country estates labeled with the names of landowners that will be familiar to many New Yorkers: Stuyvesant, Bayard, Delancy, Beekman, Harrison, Murray, Watts, Duane, Tiebout, and others.