Samantha’s map of her Vermont neighborhood centers on a large green field ringed by roads, with a bunch of fun things to explore: a pond, a stream, a sinkhole, and even a snake island. All of these features are carefully labeled alongside her house, the woods, the dinosaur hills, and the chicken coop. The circular […]
Ben was a fifth grader and avid hiker when he drew this remarkably detailed topographic map of Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. Dense hand-rendered contour lines fill the page, with dozens of labeled peaks, trails, brooks, ponds, and roads including Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Lincoln, the Kancamagus Highway, and Tripoli Road, all recorded with the kind of […]
Krista’s friend, Dimitris, drew this map for her when she was traveling through Greece. No one could remember the exact address of her friend’s mother’s place where she would be staying, so she used this map to find the house after arriving on the island.
This drawing hits on all of the best qualities of hand-drawn maps. It includes personal recommendations, can be used for navigation, and has a striking visual appearance. Justin drew it for his friends when they were visiting him in Venice, California. They wanted to spend some time checking out what made the neighborhood unique, so […]
This is a map worth keeping. Even though it’s not particularly practical for navigation, it’s a cool piece of ephemera with a fun story. A video store clerk drew it for Renee and her boyfriend when they stopped to ask for directions to a popular sushi restaurant. The clerk quickly drew a few lines on […]
Alec writes, “I learned about ‘behavioral maps’ in sociology class. All hand drawn maps are more or less behavioral maps because they reflect the scale and importance of place in the human brain – like the famous map of Manhattan by [Saul] Steinberg.”
This map is of the Atari 2600 game, Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was drawn circa 1983 by Justin and his brother on computer paper of the time period, green and white striped on one side with perforation holes down the edge. Justin says, “I was in the first grade at the time, and […]
Gregory’s annotated map documents a multi-day hike along the extended Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in October 1986. Campsites, passes, and Inca ruins are noted alongside candid dispatches from the trail — altitude sickness, a companion nicknamed Flounder getting lost, and a drawing session at the ruins of Winay Wana cut short by a caretaker’s […]
This map, affectionately referred to as good coffee, good bagel, good bye, was drawn by Amy Horst as a guide for Kris Harzinski to find his way out of Bloomington, Indiana. As he left, Harzinski stopped at the Espresso Royal Cafe to get a mocha, his drink of choice at the time, but skipped the […]
Scott sent this fascinatingly detailed map of alder trees that were felled by a family of beavers. He writes, “some people look at this as damage, but I like to point out that this is exactly what beaver are supposed to do. They’re actually making land and making forest when they cut down fast growing […]
Colin sent this map he drew documenting the punk scene in Toronto circa 1976-78. The map is part of his research for The Last Pogo Jumps Again, a long-form documentary exploring this important moment in Toronto music history. This sketch was eventually translated into promotional materials for the film by artist Rick Trembles.
The other day I received an envelope from an anonymous person in the Philadelphia area. Inside was this map along with the following note: “My sister sent this to me along with the latest pictures of her kids. No explanation about the map, but I hope Matt found the treasure.”