Mission
The New York Map Society exists to encourage and promote the study, research, use, creation, preservation, and appreciation of all forms of maps and the history of cartography. Our interests encompass all eras and methodologies, from antique to contemporary maps, including digital and computer-generated maps. Our mission is pursued through numerous means, including periodic lectures and field trips, maintaining a website and social media presence, supporting individuals or organizations aligned with our mission, and publishing articles or posts about maps. The New York Map Society was founded in 1978 and is a non-profit corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, offering educational, academic, and research programs for anyone interested in maps.
LATEST NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Behold the Mapmaker: Cartographic Self-Portraits. The lives of early modern cartographers are poorly documented compared with those of contemporary writers and painters, yet a source for insights into the lives of cartographers—the self-portraits that they sometimes include in their maps—is largely unexplored. These self-portraits are an important part of the social history of cartography, of how cartographers chose to present themselves; they also function as visual signatures, guarantees of quality, and expressions of pride. In this talk I will examine some of the more striking and evocative cartographic self-portraits from the earliest surviving case in the fourteenth century to examples from pictorial maps of the twentieth century.