1883 Indicator Map of London and Visitors Guide – Antique Map:1
Antique hand coloured folding map of London by C. Smith & Son, 1883. This detailed street map was published as a visitors guide and it includes an alphabetical listing of 7000 streets, a guide to public buildings, theaters, and places of amusement, with a complete list of railway stations. The map shows parks and gardens, notable buildings, railway stations, the many bridges over the Thames, and more. This booklet includes a measuring tape to aid you in finding a location (Require the situation of Somerset house? Find the place in the alphabetical list, opposite to which are numbers 45 to 29. Apply the tape to 45 on the margin of the map, and above 92 on the tape will be found Somerset House). The map is ruled in quarter-mile squares. Overall very good antique condition with some signs of age, wear along the folds and at the fold intersection. The map is on a cloth backing, making it sturdy, and the tape is also cloth. This map could be removed from the booklet for framing, or the book cover could be folded behind it.
Measures approximately 20.25”×30.25” inches to the sheet edges and 19”x28.75“ to the neatline.
Inherited
Yes
Hi Ray,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
C. Smith & Son’s “Indicator Map of London and Visitors Guide” (“Tape Indicator Map”) is distinguished by other London guide books by the included measuring tape so readers could accurately gauge distance for travel. Because these maps were published over many editions (mid- to late-19th century into early 20th century), they provide a window into how London evolved: street layouts, railway expansion, and the growth of public buildings. For historians, urban geographers, or map collectors, they are valuable primary sources showing Victorian / Edwardian London.
I've found a few copies currently listed for sale online, all for less than $100 retail, and no copies selling recently for more than $50. It's a novelty for the inserted tape but that doesn't seem to make much difference to book collectors today.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
SMITH, C & SON
"Indicator Map of London and Visitors Guide"
published in London in 1883
with attached binding and tape in embossed gilt cloth boards
Overall" 30-1/4 by 20-1/4 inches
CONDITION: Fair with wear commensurate to age and use
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$ 40-60*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia
