I Love Vintage Maps

I’ve been thinking about maps and how we all used them way back when. Remember planning a road trip? Pulling out the Rand-McNally atlas and figuring out the best way to go?

Making sure you had a map in the car. Trying to re-fold it, which was impossible – like some evil origami puzzle, or needing to see the one road that just happens to be obscured by the worn out fold in the map. This may sound like I’m complaining but really I’m not.

I love maps. I love looking at them, even now in the age of Google, iPhones and GPS devices. I know the old fashioned paper version will probably become less in demand as digital devices become more affordable and wifi coverage more accessible, but I will still love looking at them.

I was looking at a lot of the art we have hanging in our house and realized we have at least 6 framed maps on our walls. We have a big collection of world globes, a portfolio of star charts, various trays, glasses and plates, all with maps on them. Boxes of older maps from yard sales and old National Geographic magazines, that I use in art projects.

There is definitely a theme going on at our house, tea towels with state maps printed on them, drinking glasses with maps a teapot. Yikes!

When did maps become more about decor and less about utility….are they still useful even when the geography they represent no longer exists?  Perhaps old maps are even more useful now since they capture a moment of time and place, providing a nostalgic reference point. So many questions so many maps…..

Some links worth visiting for more information:
• The DeLorme Map Store in Yarmouth, Maine http://www.delorme.com/mapstore/default.aspx
• The Old Map Blog – comprehensive online collection of maps – http://www.old-map-blog.com/maps/
• RetroRoadMap Blog – this is a really fun blog all about documenting quirky, vintage roadside attractions. I have a few I am going to send to her.  http://retroroadmap.com/

To see a few creative ways to use maps visit the Create page