"Boston" print by Albert E. Downs (1899)

I try to keep the Paper Cities collection as varied as possible, but the late 19th century "bird's eye view" genre of map dominates it—so many great artists spent so many hours drawing in the style, and it shows. I try to resist adding new bird's eye views, but this one by Albert E. Downs of Lowell, Massachusetts, is among the best there is. Every wharf and pier in the Inner Harbour is labelled, the Commons are a treed gem left of centre, and the tangle of railways spilling out of North Union Station is expertly untangled. 

Unfortunately, the Library of Congress copy that I've digitally restored included an enormous split down the centre, which I've done my best to minimize. The last thing the viewer needs is a chasm dividing the old Post Office (RIP) in two. It's suffered enough. 

A reproduction available at 18x12" or 36x24" on Epson Enhanced Matte 192 gsm paper printed with Epson UltraChrome XD2 archival ink. Sold in an open edition, unframed. Based on a this public domain image found in the Library of Congress.