MapShopCompany
THE CITY, THEN

Your city from a balloon that never existed — and your street in 1905.

Two archives, one century. Panoramic "bird's-eye" lithographs drew whole cities building-by-building from imaginary altitude. Sanborn fire-insurance maps inked every block, every address. Both live at the Library of Congress. Both are yours.

Restored 1868 bird's-eye lithograph of ChicagoChicago, 1868

How it works

Search both collections live below. Bird's-eye views cover ~1,500 American towns (1847–1929); Sanborn atlases cover 12,000 more, sheet by sheet down to your block. Tell us the city — and for Sanborn, the street — and we pull and restore the exact sheet.

Source: Library of Congress — Panoramic Maps collection & Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. No known restrictions on publication.

ASK THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, LIVE both collections at once
REQUEST SLIPNº ___

We answer within a day with what the archive actually holds — real scans, real years. Nothing to pay until you've seen your map. $7 a view, restored · Sanborn sheets $7 · $18 for any three.

Restored this week

Restored launch samples below — Chicago 1868, New York 1870, Nashville 1897.

Restored 1868 bird's-eye lithograph of Chicago
Chicago, 1868Three years before the fire — every building drawn
Restored 1870 bird's-eye view of New York City
The City of New York, 1870The harbor at full sail, the grid climbing north
Restored 1897 panoramic view of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in Nashville
Nashville — Tennessee Centennial, 1897The Parthenon's first summer, drawn from the air
Restored Sanborn fire-insurance map sheet of Nashville
Nashville Sanborn sheetSanborn surveyors inked every block, every address

Prefer to browse finished pieces? Our Etsy shop carries ready-to-print maps from every open engine.