Boston Rare MapsSpecializing in rare, important and unusual American maps and prints
A rare and lovely aquatint of a “silver plateu” presented by the citizens of Suffolk, England to Philip Broke, Captain of the HMS Shannon, in recognition of his victory over the ill-starred USS Chesapeake. This print offers the British side of this famous War of 1812 naval engagement off Boston, which resulted in the capture […]
![[George Callender, surveyor] [A Chart of the Harbour of Boston, Composed from Different Surveys, but Principally from that Taken in 1769, by Mr George Callender, Late Master of His Majesty’s Ship Romney.] [London]: J[oseph] F[rederick] W[allet] Des Barres, August 5, 1775.](https://bostonraremaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BRM4170-Des-Barres-Boston-Harbor-1775_lowres-scaled-e1667654623560-150x150.jpg)
The finest 18th-century chart of Boston Harbor in a desirable later state, with the addition of the extensive American fortifications erected during the 1775 siege. For its combination of accuracy and visual appeal this chart has never been surpassed. The chart depicts the environs of Boston, Boston Harbor and much of the coastline between Nahant […]
A scarce view of Boston Light, one of the few obtainable 18th-century views of an American lighthouse. The original Boston Light was built in 1716 on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. It was the first lighthouse built within the future United States, but was destroyed by the British as they evacuated the town […]
![[After Cyprian Southack and Augustine Fitzhugh], BOSTON HARBOR in NEW=ENGLAND. London: William Fisher and John Thornton, 1689-1698.](https://bostonraremaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BRM4323-Thornton-Boston-Harbor_recto_lowres-scaled-e1675876373969-150x150.jpg)
A great rarity, being the first large-scale printed map of the Boston area, the first printed chart of Boston Harbor, the first printed image to provide any detail for the town of Boston, and the first navigable chart of any harbor in North America. This remarkable work charts the Massachusetts waters between Marblehead and “Wamor” […]
![By order of M. De Sartine, Minister and Secretary of the Navy / after J. E. S. [sic] Des Barres, CARTE PARTICULIERE DU HAVRE DE BOSTON…. [Paris], 1780.](https://bostonraremaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BRM3690-Sartine-Boston_lowres-scaled-e1611963585870-150x150.jpg)
A lovely and important chart of Boston Harbor produced in 1780 by order of the French Admiralty for use during the American Revolution. The chart was published in 1780, the year General Rochambeau landed with his army at Newport, Rhode Island, which for the duration of the American Revolution served as the major French base […]
An informative map of Boston and surroundings, produced for English readers anxious for information after news of the Boston Tea Party reached the mother country. The main image is a chart of the Massachusetts coast from Scituate to Beverly, with particular detail for the soundings and many navigational hazards of Boston Harbor. Inset at upper […]
A lovely example of this dramatic 1775 map of the siege of Boston and depicting in some detail the Battle of Bunker Hill. After the April 1775 encounters at Lexington and Concord the British forces under General Gage retreated to Boston. There they were besieged by American forces entrenched on the heights surrounding the town […]
A lovely silk-on-silk map sampler of Boston Harbor, embroidered in 1799 by Lydia Bishop, a student at Susanna Rowson’s Academy for Young Ladies. One of only three known samplers from Mrs. Rowson’s school, this example previously unrecorded. The Academy for Young Ladies was at the time located on Federal Street in Boston. Betty Ring’s Girlhood […]
The Pennsylvania Magazine was the sole periodical published in the America during the Revolution, appearing monthly between January 1775 and July 1776. Edited for much of its run by Thomas Paine, it had a truly American character, including literary and philosophical essays, book reviews, scientific and technical articles, and of course the latest news of military […]
A very fine chart of Massachusetts Bay from the Atlantic Neptune, issued for use of British navigators early in the Revolutionary War. The Atlantic Neptune is arguably the finest atlas of North American waters ever produced, achieving in its more complete states full coverage of the East and Gulf Coasts. The Neptune’s great strength was […]