Very Old Map of Washington DC, 1795 by John Russell – Georgetown, White House, Capitol, White House, City Plan
One of the earliest and rarest city plans of Washington D.C., this map was published in 1795 by John Russell in London. This is a strikingly attractive map of the US capital.
The first back-of-the-napkin plan of D.C. was put together in 1791, and the first official plans were published in 1792. You can see that the modern layout of the city is remarkably close to the original, more-than-220-year-old plan.
You can see that the President’s House and Capitol Building have already been positioned, along with what we now know as the National Mall connecting the two buildings.
Notably Washington Monument is missing – because that was only erected later, to honour the first president of the US, George Washington.
I do have a later map that shows the Monument and a few other notable buildings, such as the Smithsonian.
Zoom into the listing images and see if you can spot your block!
This map looks great at all sizes: 12×16 inches (30x40cm), 16×20 inches (40x50cm) and 18×24 inches (45x60cm), but it looks even better when printed large. I can create beautiful, large prints of this map up to 100 inches (250cm) wide. Please get in touch if you’re looking for larger, customised or different framing options. Please note that the unframed 24×30 inch map has small white strips on each side that can be easily snipped off – or they may help you with framing. All other maps, and framed maps, look like the listing images.
The model in the listing images is holding the 20×16 inch (50x40cm) version of this map.
This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas or housewarming gift for someone from Washington D.C. or who feels particularly close to US politics.
You can order the map itself, or you can order a framed version. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that really makes our maps pop out when on a wall. Please get in touch if you’d like a different frame. We use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) in our frames – it’s less reflective than glass and better for transport.
