Shell Street Map of San Jose and Vicinity captures the South Bay at a pivotal postwar moment, when motoring defined how people experienced the city. Issued in 1951 by Shell Oil Company—drawing on work originally prepared for the staff of the San Francisco Examiner—this city map balances clarity and color with a traveler’s toolbox of legend, indexed points of interest, traffic regulations, and mileage charts. A polyconic projection keeps streets true to line, while shaded relief gives the valley’s contours a tactile presence. As a city map it is especially notable for the precision with which it renders San Jose’s growing grid and its connective tissue to neighboring towns, inviting exploration from the core business district outward to orchards, canneries, and new residential tracts that were beginning to radiate across the valley.

Downtown San Jose emerges as a coherent, navigable stage set: Santa Clara Street and First Street organize the central grid, with South 1st Street and San Carlos Street fanning traffic toward shops, theaters, and civic buildings. The map orients drivers to the college quarter around San Jose State, the cathedral and civic auditorium, and the Southern Pacific depot just west of the core—critical waypoints in an era when rail and road overlapped. Crossings over the Guadalupe River are shown with turn-by-turn legibility, and nearby neighborhoods like Naglee Park and the historic Rose Garden district are readily approached from arterial spines. As a city plan, it excels in making quick, confident route choices feel effortless, the indexed listings guiding newcomers to the very doorstep of downtown landmarks.

Nature frames the city here with uncommon grace. The shaded relief models the amphitheater of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range, while rivers—Guadalupe pushing north, Coyote Creek bending through the east, and Los Gatos Creek threading in from the foothills—read as green-blue corridors that help drivers track their bearings. Parks stand out as destinations and navigational anchors: Alum Rock Park to the east promises canyon drives; the Municipal Rose Garden brightens the near-west side; tree-lined streets in Willow Glen and Naglee Park hint at the city’s garden identity. The projection keeps these natural and civic elements proportionate, so a motorist can judge distance at a glance and chart an afternoon that moves seamlessly from downtown errands to creekside shade.

Radiating from the core, the road network knits San Jose to its “vicinity” with purpose. Coleman Avenue steers travelers to the Municipal Airport, while Oakland Road and Zanker Road lead toward the bayshore industries and the North Valley. Eastside arterials—Tully Road, Aborn Road, Evergreen Road, Quimby Road, Silver Creek Road—trace the orchard belt and foothill neighborhoods, their sequence clarified by the map’s mileage tables. San Carlos Street links west to highways for Los Gatos and the coast, and Santa Clara Street joins the old El Camino corridor to Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, where names like Murphy Avenue and Lick Mill Boulevard appear in orderly succession. Shell’s safety tips and traffic regulations, printed alongside, fold practical wisdom into the pleasure of the drive, turning wayfinding into an easy, elegant ritual.

Shell’s mid-century cartographic program married brand bravura with serious geographic craft, and this edition is a quintessential example: vivid gold-and-red branding, yes, but also disciplined symbol sets, legible type, and a field-based sense of what motorists truly need. Prepared for newspapermen, refined for travelers, it speaks to a confident, mobile America—one poised between the Valley of Heart’s Delight and the dawning tech era. As a city map it is unusually rich: the points-of-interest index steers readers from mission squares to airfields, from downtown civic halls to celebrated attractions in Santa Clara Valley and the peninsula. Today it reads as both guide and time capsule, preserving a street-by-street portrait of San Jose as it organized itself around rivers, neighborhoods, and the open road.

Streets and roads on this map

• Aborn Road
• Almaden Expressway
• Blossom Hill Road
• Capital Expressway
• Cherry Avenue
• Coleman Avenue
• Curtner Avenue
• Evergreen Road
• First Street
• Great Mall Parkway
• Lick Mill Boulevard
• Murphy Avenue
• Narvaez Avenue
• North 13th Street
• Oakland Road
• Quimby Road
• San Carlos Street
• Santa Clara Street
• Santa Teresa Boulevard
• Silver Creek Road
• South 1st Street
• South 10th Street
• Tully Road
• Union Avenue
• Winfield Boulevard
• Wren Avenue
• Zanker Road

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Legend for navigation features
• Mileage and distance charts
• Points of interest listed in an indexed format
• Shell Oil Company branding evident throughout
• Shaded relief for geographical features
• Highway safety tips and traffic regulations indicated

Historical and design context

• Name: Shell Street Map of San Jose and Vicinity (1951)
• Publisher: Shell Oil Company; originally prepared for the staff of the San Francisco Examiner
• Distribution and branding: Given out at Shell gas stations; vibrant gold-and-red Shell logo and design
• Regions shown: San Jose and surrounding areas, including parts of California’s Bay Area
• Topics and themes: Navigation and transportation (e.g., mileage charts, traffic regulations); regional landmarks and points of interest
• Design and style: Polyconic projection for clarity and usability; rich colors with shaded relief effects
• Historical significance: Reflects post-war America’s growing automobile culture and need for road maps; collectible example of mid-20th-century cartography and design practices

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.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) 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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.