Restored Maps of Delaware

Bird’s-eye views and historic maps of Delaware towns, restored and printed fresh on archival paper.

A detail of Wilmington, Delaware 1874
Wilmington, Delaware 1874A detail of the restored printSee this print

Every Delaware Map

Before and After

Atlanta, Georgia in 1871, drawn by Albert Ruger. Drag across the map to compare the original print with our restoration.

The 1871 bird’s-eye view of Atlanta, Georgia before restoration, on yellowed paperThe same map of Atlanta after our restoration

See the restored Atlanta print

How a Town Was Drawn From the Sky

Long before airplanes, artists traveled from town to town and walked every street, sketching the houses, churches, mills and shops one by one. Back at the drawing table they put the whole town together as if seen from a balloon.

They sold the finished prints to the people who lived there. Most were drawn between the 1860s and the 1890s, by artists like O.H. Bailey, Albert Ruger, Lucien Burleigh and Thaddeus Fowler. We start from scans of the original prints, clean away the stains, creases and fading, and print each map fresh on archival paper.

A close look at the 1881 bird’s-eye view of Essex, Connecticut
Essex, Connecticut in 1881, house by house

Then and Now

Neenah, Wisconsin in 1879, drawn as if from a balloon, and the same town on our map today.

The 1879 bird’s-eye view of Neenah, Wisconsin1879A restored bird’s-eye viewOur map of Neenah, Wisconsin todayTodayOur map of Neenah

Keep Exploring

Two more rooms at KNOWOL.

Town & City MapsYour town, the way it looks todayFind Your TownVintage PostcardsGreetings from the 1930s and 1940sSee the Postcards