A luminous celebration of New Jersey in 1939, Leon L. Des Rosiers’ Historical Map of the State of New Jersey blends geography and storytelling into a richly illustrated panorama. Across Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Camden, Atlantic City, and the shore towns from Wildwood to Cape May, the state’s contours are animated with vignettes of landmarks, harvests, and heroics. Decorative borders and cartouches lend a heraldic air, while a bold compass rose orients the viewer to the Atlantic and the Delaware. Callout boxes punctuate the surface with crisp historical anecdotes, and the pictorial relief—rivers, pine forests, rolling uplands—sets stage for scenes of mills, campuses, and boardwalks. Roads, rail lines, canals, and airports trace an intricate web, making the map a narrative atlas of movement, invention, and identity.

The Revolutionary War narrative runs like a bright thread through this composition. Trenton is alive with the drama of Washington’s crossing and the surprise victory that revived the patriot cause, while Princeton marks the follow-up triumph that helped turn the tide in early 1777. Morristown signals the Continental Army’s winter encampments, a testament to endurance that shaped the campaign’s arc. Nearby, the broader theater evokes engagements such as Monmouth and the state’s role as a corridor of intelligence, supply, and skirmish. At Princeton’s Nassau Hall—also noted—the Continental Congress convened in 1783, underscoring New Jersey’s pivotal place in the nation’s formative years. These scenes, deftly pictured, convert familiar towns into living chapters of American independence.

Commerce and connectivity are equally central to the story. Canals ribbon across the state—the Morris Canal linking Phillipsburg to Jersey City, and the Delaware and Raritan Canal tying Trenton to New Brunswick—early arteries that once floated coal, grain, and ideas between river and harbor. Railroads stream toward Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, and Camden, their terminals and ferry slips evoking the age of steam and steel. The modern roadscape, from US highways threading Somerville, Lakewood, and Toms River to the bridges that leap the bays, signals the 1930s embrace of motoring. Airports are flagged with jaunty aircraft—Newark’s pioneering field, Atlantic City’s Bader Field, and Central Airport near Camden and Cherry Hill—conveying the new velocity of flight. Together, these routes read as a primer in how a small state became a mighty crossroads.

New Jersey’s genius for innovation and leadership also animates the pictorial field. Near East Orange and Passaic, the industrial belt hints at Thomas Edison’s laboratories and the electrified revolution they sparked, while West Orange and Menlo Park lore often accompanies depictions of light bulbs and phonographs. Princeton is crowned by scholarship—Woodrow Wilson’s academic and political ascent and, by the late 1930s, Albert Einstein’s presence at the Institute for Advanced Study—conveying an intellectual gravitas that balances factory skylines. Camden nods to Walt Whitman’s later years and to shipyards that built for war and peace, while Hoboken recalls its World War I role as a port of embarkation. The effect is a people’s gallery in miniature: inventors, poets, statesmen, and workers, each etched into the state’s collective memory.

Finally, the map revels in landscapes and livelihoods. From Long Branch’s Gilded Age surf to Atlantic City’s boardwalk spectacle and the bright arc of Wildwood to Cape May, the shore unfurls as a stage of leisure and enterprise. Inland, the Pine Barrens and the Toms River country yield cranberries, while Mount Holly’s environs whisper of the blueberry’s cultivation; Vineland’s truck farms and orchards parade across the page in baskets and sheaves. New Brunswick and Somerville anchor fertile counties; Lakewood’s pines frame resort greens and lakes. Even in the dense quarters of Newark, Jersey City, and Trenton, harbors, markets, and campuses are pictured alongside gardens and parks. The result is a joyous composite portrait—industry and imagination, fields and ferries—of a state whose history is inseparable from the energy of its places.

Places on this map

• Newark
• Jersey City
• Trenton
• Camden
• Atlantic City
• Hoboken
• Mount Holly
• Morristown
• Princeton
• Wildwood
• Cape May
• Vineland
• East Orange
• Passaic
• Long Branch
• Toms River
• New Brunswick
• Cherry Hill
• Phillipsburg
• Lakewood
• Somerville

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Illustrated historical landmarks
• Major roads and railroads
• Airports depicted pictorially
• Canals shown on the map
• Labels for various cities and towns
• Pictorial depictions of agricultural products
• Visual representations of notable individuals
• Artistic embellishments such as a compass rose
• Decorative borders and cartouches
• Scenic illustrations of natural landscapes alongside human constructs
• Callout boxes with historical context or anecdotes
• Emphasis on recreational areas and popular sites
• Mention of historic events such as battles or significant moments
• Events related to the Revolutionary War
• Cultural references related to New Jersey’s history

Historical and design context

• Map Title: Historical Map of the State of New Jersey
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Created by Leon L. Des Rosiers; published by the Historical Map Bureau, W. Willington, Connecticut
• Date of Creation: 1939
• Design Style: Colorful pictorial map with vibrant illustrative elements and pictorial relief
• Themes: Historical events and notable individuals; landmarks and agricultural products; roads, airports, canals, and railroads (historical transportation routes)
• Region Shown: The state of New Jersey, USA
• Historical Significance: Celebrates New Jersey’s identity and contributions to American history; serves as both a geographical reference and a visual celebration of the state’s rich heritage, emphasizing significant events and influential figures

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.

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.

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.