About This Archive

This project began over a decade ago when I stumbled upon a small collection of incredible typography from the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. I had never seen anything like them, and I became obsessed. I even used them as inspiration for my wedding invitations.

The Sanborn Map Company

The Sanborn Map Company created detailed maps of over 12,000 American towns and cities between 1867 and 1970. Originally used by fire insurance companies to assess risk, these maps documented building materials, property boundaries, and street layouts with extraordinary precision. Today, they serve as an invaluable record of American urban history.

But it's the title pages that stopped me in my tracks. Each one is a hand-lettered work of art — bold Victorian typography, ornate borders, and decorative flourishes that reflected the character of the city they represented. No two are alike. They were never meant to be art, but that's exactly what they are.

Building the Archive

This archive contains over 3,500 meticulously preserved title pages, spanning from 1867 to 1923. Every image has been sourced from the Library of Congress's digitized collection, carefully processed, and made freely available for personal use.

The goal is simple: to make sure these extraordinary pieces of American design history don't stay buried in library archives. They deserve to be seen, shared, and appreciated.

Framed Prints

If you'd like to hang one of these maps on your wall, we offer museum-quality framed prints through our partnership with Simply Framed. Each print is produced on archival-quality cotton paper with fade-resistant inks, custom framed with sustainably sourced hardwood, acid-free matting, and UV-protective glazing. They're handmade in the USA and shipped ready to hang.