About this event

During the same time period that printers in China were producing the outstanding “blue maps” of heaven and earth currently on display in our gallery using a technique involving the pigment Prussian Blue, surveyors and other map makers in the West were producing their own “blue maps.” Based on the blueprint process introduced in the 1840s, these white-on-blue drawings could be produced rapidly and inexpensively while ensuring the longevity and accuracy of a reproduction, which greatly impacted the distribution of visual information.

This *From the Vault *features examples from the Center’s survey collections that demonstrate how blueprints helped influence the changing 19th-century American landscape, from the fill of Boston’s Back Bay to a “celestial map” of Canton, Massachusetts to a railroad project in Texas. Come survey the blueprints yourself!

This drop-in showing will be hosted Thursday, August 29 from 2-4 pm in the Learning Center with a staff member from the Leventhal Center available to answer questions. This collections showing event was specially curated by longtime LMEC volunteer, Karen Vagts.

No advance registration is required.

From The Vault

The Leventhal Map and Education Center cares for more than a quarter million cartographic and geographic objects, including maps, atlases, charts, globes, gazetteers, ephemera, research texts, and data sets. With such an extensive collection, it is likely that many of these objects will never be included in exhibitions for public viewing. Our latest series, From The Vault, attempts to remedy that limitation. From The Vault is a biweekly, casual collections showing of objects selected by Map Center staff. These drop-in sessions do not include a formal presentation, though Map Center staff will be available to interpret objects, chat, and answer questions.