Mitchell Map of North America 1755 — Antique Map Print

The story of this map

John Mitchell was a Virginia physician and botanist who moved to London and, working for the Board of Trade, produced the most detailed map of eastern North America of its day. Engraved by Thomas Kitchin and sold by Andrew Millar in 1755, it was printed on eight sheets and meant to be pasted together into a wall map, which is exactly what the Library of Congress copy behind this print is.

Visually it is dense in the best way. The British colonies and the French claims are outlined in wash colour, and every corner is filled with roads and mileages, forts, rivers, settlements and the names of Native nations. The dedication to the Earl of Halifax sits in a grand rococo cartouche, and long blocks of engraved notes argue the British case for the interior. It is a map with an opinion, drawn on the eve of the French and Indian War.

Its later fame is well earned: the British and American negotiators in Paris in 1782 and 1783 worked from the Mitchell map when they fixed the borders of the new United States. That makes it a wonderful companion to our 1784 McMurray map of the same territory.

It suits a large wall, a dining room, a boardroom or a library, and is one of the cornerstones of our Antique Maps of US States collection. 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.

Mitchell Map of North America, 1755: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration plan: the Library's file is a single composite scan of the eight-sheet wall map, so even out tone and alignment across the sheet joins; 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 1755 map held by the Library of Congress. We never sell originals.

What is actually printed on this map?

Eastern North America from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico and west past the Mississippi, with the British colonies and French claims outlined in colour, roads with distances, settlements, forts, Native nations, and a long dedication cartouche to the Earl of Halifax.

How big is the map on the sheet?

The original wall map is very large, about 136 x 195 cm (54 x 77 in) assembled. Our prints reduce it to sizes from 12 x 18 in up to 24 x 36 in; at 24 x 36 the place names are still readable, and the scan is detailed enough for close viewing.

Does it come framed?

Choose it. Every map comes as an archival matte paper print, a stretched canvas, or framed in black, white or natural oak. Framed prints are made and framed in the country of delivery, ready to hang.

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

First Map of the United States, 1784

William McMurray · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia, 1755

Joshua Fry & Peter Jefferson · 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

Mitchell Map of North America, 1755

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print