Title: Plan of the City and Environs of Baltimore, Respectfully dedicated to the Mayor, City Council & Citizens thereof by the Proprietors, 1801.
Second edition.

Scale: Bar scale indicates 100 perches. 

Engraver: Francis Shallus.

Publisher: Baltimore, Warner & Hanna. 

Dimensions: Image 50 x 72.5 cm. Engraving.
 

Plan of the City and Environs of Baltimore, 1801

The first edition of this map appeared in 1799 with the title "A Plan of the City and Environs of Baltimore, Respectfully dedicated to the Mayor, City Council & Citizens thereof by the author 1799." The second edition differs but little from it, although its publishers Warner & Hanna announced in the May 4, 1801 Federal Gazette that "considerable amendments have been made to the same."

The cartographer is not identified on either of the two editions, but there are indications that he may have been Charles Varle. In his Chronicles of Baltimore J. Thomas Scharf writes: "[in 1797] Mr. George Keating published a small plan of the city, and two years after another was published by Mr. Charles Varle, which included some of the environs, with views of the build-ings" (Scharf, p. 283). Also, a comparison between this map and a 1796 plan of Philadelphia by Varl6 shows certain similarities in style, e.g., the manner in which houses, trees and relief are depicted, the lettering and the use of insets to illustrate the appearance of some of the major buildings. The plan itself and a comparison with Folie's map (no. 17) shows that Baltimore continued to expand toward the east, south and west, but still not to the north. Harrison's Marsh is completely developed and the wharves extended even further into the Basin. However, Pratt Street is not yet a through street and Charles Street is still facing the water. As noted by Olson (p. 30), the wealthy, for health reasons, erected summer residences on the hilltops; many of these retreats can be seen on this map, especially north and west of the city.

This map was reprinted twice, in 1870 by Lucas Brothers and in 1947 by the Peabody Library.

References:
L. McCauley, 1975, V6; S. Olson 1980; J. Scharf 1874.

Return Home
 

Back

Continue