Theme

Urbanism

Featured Items

Detail of a printed book shows title page with manuscript notations at the top of the page.

A summary history of New-England

Hannah Adams
1799
Detail of hand colored, engraved map of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shows roads, rivers, and settlements. Text in English labels features.

A map of Philadelphia and parts adjacent..

Nicholas Scull
1752
Detail of a printed book shows red binding with gold details at the borders of the boards and all along the spine.

Guia política, eclesiástica y militar del Virreynato del Perú

Hipólito Unanue
1795
Detail of engraved, hand colored print of Quebec City shows fortifications, churches and cathedral, statehouse, ships, and dwellings. Also includes title reading "Quebec, the Capital of New France" and other text in English.

Quebec: The Capital of New France

Thomas Johnston
1759
Detail of a colored manuscript atlas shows a coastal region and labels in Latin. Other details include drawings of castles and mountains.

[Portolan atlas] / Vesconte de Maiolo ciuis Janue conposuy

Vesconte Maggiolo
1511
Detail of a manuscript map shows coastal profiles and women or mermaids holding the flags of Ireland, Scotland, and England.

Mountserrat island, ms. 1673

William Blathwayt
1673
Detail of an engraved city plan of Queretaro shows numbered blocks in the city layout.

Ordenanza que para la division de la m. noble y leal ciudad de Santiago de Queretaro en cuarteles menores, creacion de alcaldes de ellos, y reglas para su gobierno.

1796
Detail of an engraved map shows people standing around a tent that is surrounded by a grid layout.

A View of Savanah as it stood the 29th of March. 1734

Peter Gordon
1734

Related

Image of an artificial flower clock, with two hands emerging from clouds on either side holding a numbered circle, and a thorn stemming from the flower's circle pointing at the time.
Fellow's Talk

Earthquakes and Timekeeping Practices in New England, 1600-1800

map showing water, volcanoes, the sun, mountaintops, waterways and towns

Bodies of Water/Bodies at Work

Summer - Fall 2018
photograph of John F López, assistant professor of art history at UC Davis, fellow at the John carter brown library for eight months
Our Fellows

John F. López, NEH Fellow

March 8, 2018
detailed manuscript plan of the city of Montevideo in present-day Uruguay, including location and names of inhabitants of the town, location of churches, fortifications, dwellings, gardens, and some topographical details
Collections Up Close

Montevideo: A City Between Empires

Fabrício Prado September 1, 2008

See Also

History of Science

Nahuatl