David Rumsey Map Collection

What David Rumsey Map Collection actually is

One collector's lifetime of historical maps, atlases, globes and city views, digitised at very high resolution and free to browse. Built-in tools lay a nineteenth-century map over a modern one, spin a scanned globe, or set two sheets of the same city decades apart side by side.

Why it is worth your time

The overlay tool is the reason to visit. Dropping an 1870 survey onto present-day satellite imagery shows exactly which streets survived and which were built straight over.

Common questions

Is David Rumsey Map Collection free?

Yes. David Rumsey Map Collection is free and does not ask you to register or hand over an email address before you can use it.

How long does David Rumsey Map Collection take?

Clear your evening. We warned you. We file it under "Rabbit hole" — a hundred thousand old maps, zoomable to the street.

Does David Rumsey Map Collection work on a phone?

David Rumsey Map Collection really wants a mouse and a wide window. It will load on a phone, but the experience is built for desktop.

What kind of site is David Rumsey Map Collection?

We list it under Deep Archives — long reads and older, stranger knowledge. The overlay tool is the reason to visit. Dropping an 1870 survey onto present-day satellite imagery shows exactly which streets survived and which were built straight over.