Sanborn fire insurance maps are not only a fantastic source for diagrams of obscure Negro league and semipro baseball parks (e.g., the various parks used by the St. Louis Giants between 1906 and 1921)—they also boast beautiful and meticulous typography and design. BibliOdyssey has posted the title pages of a number of Sanborn maps from between 1880 and 1920:
Sanborn's fire insurance enterprise produced not only excellent and detailed urban maps, but they also maintained an elegant aesthetic in the headings and legends on the maps themselves, and in the title pages of the (larger) city volumes. The ornamental flair is diverse - I don't think any of the examples above repeat type styles - and lends an air of individuality and refinement to each of the towns surveyed.
I noticed the designs also. For St. Louis the Fleur de Lis (that 3 pronged thingy)incorporated into the design was not only the city symbol, but it was on the St. Louis Browns caps from 1908-1910.
Posted by: Kevin | February 15, 2011 at 01:09 AM