What is Vintage Relief?
Vintage relief is our novel method of merging artful, historic map making methods with modern, digital elevation modeling (DEM) technology, thereby making this hillshade relief vintage mapping method possible. Vertical exaggeration is used to accentuate landforms in 2D. Vertical exaggeration is dependent on the elevation range within the respective mapping area; eg. Indiana is a state vintage map that requires heightened exaggeration; a vintage map of Colorado, much less so. Our cartographers artfully place the hypothetical light-source to trick the observer into believing the map is popping off the page.
We use a variety of quality vintage relief maps from the middle of the 20th century to the late-19th century as our base maps. US Geological Survey (USGS) maps are a favorite for their topographic or elevation detail in creating US vintage and state vintage maps. Secondarily, we use geological maps for their interesting and colorful representation of the rock formations (lithology) of various states or provinces, regions, nations, or continents. We also use various international and local sources for vintage maps, with shaded relief being popular with our cartographers. Where applicable, some maps display detailed, hillshade-styled ocean floor relief (bathymetry).
Vintage Relief vs Vintage Maps
We believe that we created the perfect blend between modern, elevation modeling methods and historic maps that make for a timeless keepsake. Vintage relief maps cover select locations from every continent: South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia, and even Antarctica. Our US vintage relief maps are a large collection, covering every corner of the USA, including Alaska and Hawaii. Our North American vintage map collection covers the continent, including Canada, Mexico, and more.
Vintage Maps can be seen as the OG of cartography: historic and noteworthy examples of the origins of accurate mapmaking abound in this collection. We have left these maps unaltered, save for the artful digital remastering to create reproductions on museum quality paper. This geological USA vintage map collection focuses on national parks and areas of significant natural beauty, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Rocky Mountains, and the Utah Basin. An array of turn-of-the-century maps are available for a wide selection of US states. We offer a selection of the grandfather of topographic maps, the US Geological Survey (USGS) series: including major cities like New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, and Boston, and scenic gems like Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains (Knoxville), Big Bend, Telluride, Zion, and many more.
Top Selling Vintage Relief Maps:
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USA 1932
Hillshade relief is superimposed on a detailed and annotated 1932 geologic map of the USA’s lower-48 from Washington state to Florida and from California to Maine.
- CA 1944
Hillshade relief is superimposed on a detailed, vintage 1944 Dept. of the Interior topographic map. The whole golden state is covered from Yreka to San Diego, displaying all natural features from Death Valley to Big Sur, and Lassen Volcanic to the Channel Islands.
- TX 1916
Hillshade relief is superimposed on a detailed and annotated 1916 geological map of the lone star state. All landforms and rock types are colorfully and intricately displayed from El Paso to Houston, from the Panhandle to Brownsville.
- North America 1965
Hillshade relief is superimposed on a 1965 geologic map of the entire continent from Alaska and Greenland in the north, to Central America and the Caribbean in the south.
- CA 1977
Hillshade relief is superimposed on a detailed 1977 geologic map. All rock types and geological forms in the golden state are covered from Yreka to San Diego, stunningly displaying all natural features from Death Valley to Big Sur, and Lassen Volcanic to the Channel Islands.
- CO 1913
Hillshade relief is superimposed on a detailed, historic 1913 geologic map. All rock types and geological forms in the centennial state are covered from Grand Junction to the Great Plains, stunningly displaying all natural features from Rocky Mountain to Great Sand Dunes National Parks and everything in between.
