Acadia Bar Harbor Topographic Map 1904 — Framed Print

The story of this map

The US Geological Survey published this Bar Harbor sheet in 1904, a dozen years before the land it shows began to become Acadia National Park. It is Mount Desert Island as the summer visitors of the Gilded Age knew it: a cluster of granite hills rising straight from the Atlantic, split almost in two by the long fjord-like reach of Somes Sound.

On the sheet the island’s hills are drawn in tight brown contours that loop around each summit, while the ponds between them and the waters of Frenchman Bay are printed in blue. The village of Bar Harbor sits on the eastern shore facing the bay and its scatter of islands. The lettering still uses the older names of the period, a small pleasure for anyone who knows the island well.

Topographic maps of coastlines have a particular charm because land and water meet so cleanly; here the contour lines of the hills run right down to the tide line, and the sea is left calm and open.

We print it as a restored reproduction in our Framed Topographic Maps collection. It suits a coastal cottage, a mudroom, or a wall of Maine prints beside a Casco Bay chart. Printed to order on archival matte paper and framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Acadia Bar Harbor Topographic Map, 1904: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration plan: crop scan margins, balance colour cast and levels while keeping the paper tone, remove library stamps and scanner artefacts if present, gentle sharpening. No repainting of original content.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

Is this an original antique map?

No. It is a new archival print of a restored high-resolution scan of the 1904 map held by the US Geological Survey Historical Topographic Map Collection. We never sell originals.

What does the map show?

The Bar Harbor quadrangle covers Mount Desert Island with its granite hills, Somes Sound, the village of Bar Harbor and the waters of Frenchman Bay, drawn in contour lines at 1:62,500.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you choose a framed option. Prints are made to order on archival matte paper and framed in a black, white or oak frame in the country of delivery; unframed paper and canvas versions are also available.

What do the colours look like?

Brown contours on the hills, blue for the sea, sound and lakes, and black lettering on cream paper. We keep the paper tone rather than forcing it to white.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Antique Map of Maine, 1795

Osgood Carleton · Library of Congress

$129 18×24 in framed · paper from $35

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
12×16 in	30×41 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
12×18 in	30×46 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
16×20 in	41×51 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
16×24 in	41×61 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
18×24 in	46×61 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
20×30 in	51×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×30 in	61×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×32 in	61×81 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×36 in	61×91 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Acadia Bar Harbor Topographic Map, 1904

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print