Prior to the early 19th century, mapmakers used one of three methods to print their works—woodcut, copperplate engraving, or lithography. Each method offered a different balance between image detail, cost of plate preparation, and quality of the final product. By the end of the nineteenth century, lithography prevailed followed by even newer printing technologies.
Manuscript
(top) William L. Spoon
Hand-Drawn Map of Chapel Hill Township
Ca. 1890s
Before printing existed, maps were drawn by hand. Even after the development of printing, some maps were never printed and exist only in manuscript form. They were likely made for personal use when no printing was available, or the need was limited to one or a few people.
The map depicts Chapel Hill Township, the southeast section of Orange County. It marks the location of churches, mills, gins, stores, and an iron mine. Roads and the railroad and its depot are shown, as well as large farms with names of owners.
William L. Spoon was a civil engineer and good roads advocate from Alamance County. His map appears to be based on George W. Tate's printed 1891 Map of Orange County. Spoon has included additional features to Tate's map, such as roads and a mountain.
Southern Historical Collection
(bottom) Native American Maps
Map of the Several Nations of Natives to the Northwest of South Carolina
Ca. 1721
Native Americans also created maps, often using tree bark and deerskin as the canvas for their works. Europeans, and later Americans, incorporated information gleaned from Indigenous people in the maps they created. This 1721 map shows the Native American communities then living in South Carolina. Many of these groups eventually coalesced into the Catawba Nation. The original version of this map was painted on deerskin and given to the colony’s governor by an unknown Native American.
Copy from the Library of Congress
Woodblock
Sebastian Münster
Tavola dell'isole nuove, le quali son nominate occidentali, & indiane per diversi respetti
1540
The first map printing utilized a type of relief printing using blocks of wood. The printer carved into the wood for the unmarked areas of the page. The remaining surface areas were inked, and an impression was made. Woodblock printing did not allow for fineness of line, and revisions were difficult, requiring replacement of a section of wood.
This map is an Italian version from German cartographer Sebastian Münster. It is the earliest map of all of America and the first to name the Pacific Ocean. This copy was hand colored.
William Patterson Cumming Map Collection, Davidson College
Copperplate
Herman Moll, geographer, and John Oldmixon, historian
Carolina
London: John Nicholson, ca. 1708
Copperplate engraving offered greater printed detail and the capability of making revisions more easily than woodcut. The printing method was intaglio, a technique in which the image is engraved on the surface of the plate. The completed plate was spread with ink filling the engraved grooves, then the surface was wiped of ink. Paper was forcefully pressed against the plate to pick up the ink in the engraved lines. Copper plates produced more impressions than woodcuts, but were expensive and more laborious to produce, needing skilled artisans.
North Carolina Collection
Lithography
Charles B. Colton and G. Woolworth Colton
North Carolina
New York: G.W. & C.B. Colton & Co., 1869
Lithography was developed in the late 1700s as a less expensive, easier way of printing images. The artist drew on a flat piece of fine-grained limestone with a greasy ink. After the drawing was completed, some additional simple processing of the stone produced a plate ready for printing. Lithography has undergone many improvements, including use of color, and is still used today.
This version of North Carolina depicts hand-colored natural resources locations.
North Carolina Collection
Computer Mapping
Google Map
Chapel Hill vicinity
Captured July 18, 2023
Mapmakers no longer need to engrave a plate or inscribe on a waxy stone. The cartographer uses a computer to enter data, choose fonts, and create graphic elements. The completed design is stored in the cloud or sent to a printer electronically for a paper copy.
An end user can create and print a customized map using a web-based mapping service, such as Google Maps. The example here depicts the Chapel Hill area using a satellite view overlayed with geographical highlights. Except for this display, it has no printed existence.
Like older maps, Google Maps uses colorful symbol icons to represent various locations, landmarks, and points of interest.
Google Maps