Vintage Atlanta Map 1892 — Koch's Bird's-Eye View, Framed Print

The story of this map

Augustus Koch drew Atlanta in 1892, when the city had rebuilt itself so completely on the railroads that the tracks are the first thing you see in his view — half a dozen lines converging on the yards at the centre, with the passenger sheds and freight houses drawn one by one. Around them is the new city: Peachtree Street running north, the gold-domed State Capitol of 1889, Grant Park and the mills, and the wooden houses of the suburbs fanning out to the edges of the sheet.

Koch was one of the great itinerant view-makers, and this is one of his largest sheets — the Library of Congress scan is over 15,000 pixels wide, which is why it holds detail at 36×24 inches. Restored from that scan, keeping the paper tone; fold lines are kept.

Printed to order on archival matte paper or canvas, framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

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

Bird's-Eye View of Atlanta, 1892: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration: cropped the scanner bed and mount margins, corrected levels and colour cast while keeping the paper tone, removed dust and specks, applied gentle sharpening. Fold lines, stains and period annotations are kept where they belong to the object; nothing is redrawn.

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

What does the map show?

Atlanta twenty-seven years after Sherman burned it: the railroad yards that made the city radiating from the centre, Peachtree Street, the domed State Capitol finished in 1889, Grant Park, the mills and the new suburbs, drawn from above with hundreds of buildings shown individually.

Is this an original antique map?

No. It is a new archival print made from a restored high-resolution scan of the original held by the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. We never sell originals; the archive record and its rights statement are on this page.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you choose a framed option: a black, white or natural oak wood frame, ready to hang, made in the country of delivery. Unframed archival matte paper and stretched canvas are also available at the larger sizes.

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 Georgia, 1859

James R. Butts · Boston Public Library, Leventhal Map Center

$129 18×24 in framed · paper from $35

Bird's-Eye View of Charleston, 1872

C.N. Drie · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 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
16×12 in	41×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
18×12 in	46×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
20×16 in	51×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×16 in	61×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×18 in	61×46 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
30×20 in	76×51 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
30×24 in	76×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
32×24 in	81×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
36×24 in	91×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
40×30 in	102×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
48×32 in	122×81 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Bird's-Eye View of Atlanta, 1892

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print