Historic and Scenic Reaches of the Nation's Capital is a spirited 1938 celebration of the Chesapeake heartland, where the sweep of geography is enlivened by history’s most resonant voices. Along the crown of the composition, portraits of eight founding fathers preside like a national frieze, their steady gazes framing a panorama of vignettes that mark decisive places in the American story. From the tidal gleam of Chesapeake Bay to the federal avenues of Washington, D.C., the map turns the mid-Atlantic into a stage, alive with monuments, battlegrounds, and storied estates. It is at once a guide and a gallery, arranging landmarks like bright constellations in a firmament of waterways, towns, and counties.

Created by the National Geographic Society, this map bears the hallmarks of the Society’s golden age of cartography—factual precision married to painterly storytelling. National Geographic’s artists and geographers designed their maps to be read and admired, rendering history accessible through pictorial scenes and crisply annotated geography. Rich, harmonious color blocks emphasize land and water, while decorative cartouches and informative notes knit archival memory to modern sightseeing. Ornate borders, alive with intricate scrollwork and patriotic motifs, transform the frame into a narrative device, guiding the eye from portrait to vignette, and from the nation’s founding ideals to the lived terrain that shaped them.

At its center the Chesapeake Bay breathes in broad, tidal strokes, flanked by the Eastern Shore and the peninsulas of Virginia, with capes and inlets named like chapters of a maritime epic. The Potomac, Patuxent, Severn, and Susquehanna rivers carve graceful corridors toward their estuaries, while to the south the James, York, and Rappahannock trace Virginia’s colonial lifelines. State lines and county divisions are rendered with satisfying clarity, revealing the administrative skeleton beneath the region’s natural embroidery. The Blue Ridge rises faintly to the west, a protective backdrop to tidewater plains and fertile valleys. Taken together, these features locate the viewer in a living geography—navigable, productive, and inseparable from the nation’s earliest endeavors.

The urban constellation glows: Washington, D.C. anchors the narrative with its Capitol, Mall, and memorials, while across the Potomac, Alexandria’s wharves and cobbled streets recall a mercantile past. Northward, Baltimore’s harbor and Fort McHenry evoke the War of 1812 and a star-spangled anthem; eastward, Annapolis parades the State House and Naval Academy, threads of continuity in a seafaring culture. Richmond, with its neoclassical capitol, stands as Virginia’s political lodestar. Routes of travel—arterial highways, rail lines, and well-trodden byways—bind these cities into a coherent journey. Insets and vignettes spotlight Mount Vernon and Monticello, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, scenes where colonial ambition, revolution, and republican leadership forged a national identity.

Across the top register, the founding fathers’ portraits—among them George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton—compose a dignified pantheon that humanizes the surrounding landscape. Their presence sets a tone of civic inheritance, while the pictorial scenes below translate principle into place. Each emblem, border flourish, and inset contributes to a chorus of national pride without sacrificing geographic intelligence. Issued on the cusp of a new global era, the map reflects interwar America’s cultivated reverence for history and its delight in exploration. It invites a slow, attentive reading—tracing rivers, following roads, pausing at forts and domes—until the Chesapeake becomes not only a region, but the narrative backbone of a nation.

Cities and towns on this map

• Washington, D.C.
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Richmond, Virginia
• Alexandria, Virginia
• Annapolis, Maryland

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Portraits of eight founding fathers along the top.
• Vignettes depicting significant places in American history.
• Lakes, rivers, and other significant bodies of water like the Chesapeake Bay.
• Major roads and transportation routes.
• State borders and county divisions.
• Decorative borders with intricate designs.
• Insets showcasing landmarks.

Historical and design context

• Date created: 1938.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: National Geographic Society.
• National Geographic context: Known for promoting geography, exploration, and cultural understanding, often employing artists and cartographers to create engaging maps.
• Topics and themes: Historical significance, scenic beauty, and important monuments related to American history in the Chesapeake area.
• Themes of national pride and heritage reflected through portraits of pivotal figures in American history.
• Design/style: Pictorial and thematic, rich in color and detail, with ornate borders and decorative cartouches.
• Historical significance: Blends geography and American history, emphasizing the importance of the Chesapeake region in the nation's founding and growth.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 20in (50cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.