A Decorative Map of Penobscot Bay Region, created by Luther S. Phillips in 1940, celebrates Maine’s storied coast from Camden to Blue Hill and from Islesboro to Bangor. Conceived as a county-and-state pictorial map with thematic depth, it braids navigational clarity with artistic flourish. North stands crisp at the top beneath a decorative compass rose, while a highly ornate cartouche frames the region’s essentials and lends a heraldic gravitas. Across the water, an illustrated sailing vessel salutes centuries of maritime enterprise, its wake threading among named islands and harbors. Every component is intentional: place-names are carefully lettered, shorelines are sculpted with an engraver’s poise, and annotations hover like marginalia, inviting close reading. This is a map to explore as much as consult.

Phillips renders terrain with contour lines and spot heights, translating the Camden Hills’ uplift and Blue Hill’s rounded summit into legible relief. The sweep of the Penobscot River broadens toward the bay, gathering tributaries and lakes that bead the interior, while coves and necks articulate the indented coast. U.S. Route 1 traces the shoreline, tying Camden, Belfast, and Blue Hill to smaller townships and ferry landings; inland roads climb toward Bangor, the head of navigation and the region’s largest city. Harbors, ports, bridges, and landmark buildings are shown and named, their positions clarifying the choreography of work and travel. The result is a living geography: islands like Islesboro sit not as abstractions but as communities connected by roads, wharves, and water.

History speaks from the upper margin. Notes recall the bay’s European acquaintance in 1525, when the Portuguese navigator Estêvão Gomes christened it Baya Fermosa—Beautiful Bay. Another annotation evokes the shimmering mirage of Norumbega as described in 1569, the fabled New World city that once haunted early maps along this very riverine coast. Phillips does not adjudicate the legend; instead, he sets it alongside tangible memory—the catastrophic fire of April 30, 1911, which reshaped Bangor and the region’s fortunes. These callouts animate the landscape with time, turning capes and channels into stages for exploration, ambition, and resilience. Even the ship that traverses the bay becomes a narrative device, bridging centuries of cod, timber, and schooner trade with 20th‑century highways and evolving coastal industry.

Design intelligence governs every inch. The ornate cartouche distills key information, while balanced ornament keeps the eye moving without obscuring function. The compass rose, crisp and luminous, steadies bearings as the labels march confidently along shorelines and river bends. Phillips’ palette of symbols—tiny buildings for civic landmarks, neat ticks for roads and highways, and fine contours with spot heights—expresses hierarchy at a glance. Relief reads cleanly, so that a sailor or motorist can intuit where hills shoulder the coast and where valleys funnel weather. The composition trusts scale and clarity to do the work, creating a map legible at a glance yet rewarding in detail, as hospitable to the armchair traveler as to the field researcher.

Luther S. Phillips emerges here as both cartographer and storyteller, working in the American pictorial tradition that flourished in the 1930s and 1940s. His draughtsmanship is disciplined, yet his line retains warmth, allowing history, topography, and daily life to coexist on a single sheet. He builds a regional portrait rather than a mere chart: Bangor’s bustle, Camden’s hills, Belfast’s harbor, Blue Hill’s peninsula, and Islesboro’s island lanes are all given voice and relation. Scholars will prize the dates and toponyms; navigators, the lucid bearings; collectors, the idiosyncratic grace. Above all, the map captures Penobscot Bay’s enduring identity—a confluence of river and sea, timber and sail, myth and measure—rendered with the measured confidence of a practiced hand.

Cities and towns on this map

• Bangor - largest city in the area.
• Camden
• Belfast
• Blue Hill
• Islesboro (notable but smaller population)
• Rockland (not specifically mentioned, but nearby and relevant in context)

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Contour lines indicating relief.
• Compass rose showcasing cardinal directions.
• Historic events annotated in the upper margin.
• Cartouche summarizing key information about the region.
• Illustrated vessels, notably a ship representing maritime history.
• Various landmarks depicted alongside their names.
• Roads and highways connecting various towns and significant locations.

Historical and design context

• Creator: Luther S. Phillips
• Year Created: 1940
• Map Type: County or State Thematic and Pictorial Map
• Content & Themes: Integrates geographical features with historical annotations, roads, rivers, lakes, highways, islands, ports, buildings, and landmarks.
• Content & Themes: Significant historical events noted, such as the description of Norumbega in 1569 and the fire on April 30, 1911.
• Historical Context: Mentions of the bay's discovery by Gomes in 1525, named "Baya Fermosa."
• Purpose: Functions as both a navigational tool and an artistic representation, serving historians, cartographers, and enthusiasts.

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 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

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.

Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.

Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.

We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.

• We can deliver directly to the recipient
• Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
• Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
• Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
• 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide

If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.

Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.

We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.

Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.

Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.

Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.

If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.

Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.

Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.

Read our full delivery and local production guide

Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.

We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.

Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.

Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.

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

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

If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.

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.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.