Scope and Content of Collection

A collection of 152 printed maps of Paris and its environs, dating from the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries. Most are hand-colored, indexed, and many are illustrated with vignettes of famed monuments. Various innovative cartographic techniques are utilized, including the "méthode Zugenbuhler," the "système Acklin," and the "procédé de géomontographie Bauerkeller," a bas-relief process. Most are mounted on canvas to facilitate folding, and many are in original folders and/or slipcases.

The collection covers the period during which Paris was transformed from a largely medieval city into a modern metropolis under Napoléon Bonaparte and Napoléon III, reflecting the division of the city into 12 arrondissements, and the building of the rail system and train stations. Most prominent are the changes instigated by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891) for Napoléon III during the 1850s and 60s, including the cutting of wide, straight, arterial thoroughfares; the renovation and expansion of the system of bridges across the Seine; the creation of the modern water and sewer systems; the demolition and rebuilding of the Île de la Cité into an administrative and religious center; and the annexation of the suburbs, resulting in a total of 20 arrondissements. The map from 1873 indicates buildings and monuments destroyed during the Paris Commune. Included also are guides with maps for the Expositions nationales of 1844 and 1849, and Exposition universelle of 1889.

Unless otherwise specified (i.e. "paper only"), all maps are mounted on canvas.

Arrangement

Arranged by date and numbered 1 through 152.