Montreal: A Not-So-Old Map of My Hometown and Best City Around!

This 1906 map of Montreal from the Department of the Interior Atlas of Canada is not the most interesting or beautiful to look at, and yet there are so many wonderful things about it. A clearer image may be found here (incidentally, from the same vendor who I think sold it to me).

The source of this map is unique. It's from 1906 and appeared in the first edition of the Atlas of Canada. According to the Canadian government department that still publishes it, that atlas was notable for its emphasis on means of communication and transportation in Canada. 

This is clear from the map. First, the map focuses on the port of Montreal. It's true the city was not as big then as it is now, but the port is impossible to miss. Second, the map notes "street railways" an early form of public transit in the city which is now long gone. Third, larger rail lines are also prominent, including, the famous Grand Trunk Railway, which had its headquarter's in Montreal and was an important rail-line for the country. The Lachine Canal is hard to miss too. Finally, there's the well known Victoria Bridge, shown on the map with a different name.

The bridge shown on this map also alludes to the many changes the city has undergone. For example, today, this view of Montreal would show at least two more bridges from the island, including the now heavily traveled and practically indispensable Jacques Cartier Bridge.

Something else pops up from looking at a current map of Montreal: there are more islands in the St. Lawrence River! "St. Helen Island" and "Ile Ronde" are merged into a single island and there's another landmass just to the east of that. These were all build in preparation for the World's Fair held in Montreal in 1967: Expo '67. The earth dug up in the construction of the Montreal Metro (subway) system was used to expand these islands where the pavilions were based. The U.S. exhibit, Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome is still on this island. So is La Ronde, an amusement park that takes its name from the once small island that sat alone in the river.

Montrealers will recognize many familiar landmarks on this map, even if they are not named. For example, McGill university is where you would expect to see it, as is the unnamed Royal Victoria Hospital. The train station is also right where you'd expect it.

I had this map framed by an excellent framer, and we discussed where to put the matting. Someone present suggested that the matting should go right to the border of the map, showing only the view of the city and not the plain black line forming the border at the edge. The framer made a comment that has since stuck with me: the cartographer decided that they wanted to only show this part of the city, and nothing else. They chose that location for the border, and to hide it, would be detracting from the historic significance of the document. It reminded me that these maps are bits of history, and to have them, and show them comes with the obligation of being faithful to their purpose and message.

My Mystery Map: Istanbul

The second map I ever bought was in Istanbul, but it's the map I know the least about, and the more I read and hear about it, the more I'm convinced that it's more of a pretty work of art than it is an actual antique map. In fact, after extensive searching, I can't find anything that even looks like it online.

When buying the map, I faced a real language barrier, but it was from what appeared to be a reputable shop that had a small number of other, somewhat similar maps. What I understood from the strained conversation was that this was a page from an antique Ottoman atlas showing a map of Istanbul. I'm pretty sure now that this was not correct. Take a look and I'll try to break it down.

So above is the front of the map I bought and to the right is the reverse of the page. This map is framed and hanging on my wall, so I can't handle it, but my recollection was that the paper seemed authentic, or at the very least, not modern. Also, I cannot read the writing on this map, but it seems clear to me that it was not printed and was probably done by hand. I believe that it's the Ottoman Turkish Alphabet, which borrows from Arabic and Persian.

There are some clues about the map, but I have a hard time deciphering them. For example, I can't figure out who the hirsute chap in the photo is. I would guess he's supposed to be an Ottoman Sultan, but maybe he's a governor of the city, or some other important person.

There's also the banner at the top-center of the page. From what I can tell from searching here, it looks like an Ottoman banner that may have been used in the 18th century, but this is anything but certain.

Then there's the cityscape itself. I'm not sure what vantage this view was taken from. As best as I can tell from playing around with google streets view from Istanbul, this image is meant to be taken from the Bospherous, looking south from Galata. Somewhere around the area marked in blue.

This brings me up against a few problems. The mosque on the right hand side has three minarets and the one on the left has four. I'm pretty sure, just from the drawing, that the mosque with three minarets is meant to be the Hagia Sophia. That's simply what it looks like. The problem is, the actual Hagia Sophia has four minarets. The other mosque, which is blue in colour, could be meant to be the Blue Mosque, but that one has six minarets. Even playing around on google streets view, I can't figure out what possible vantage point would give the viewer a sight of two mosques, on on the right with three minarets and one nearby on the left with four.


I brought this map for an informal appraisal to a shop in Washington, D.C. where I used to live. The appraiser agreed that the paper it was on was old, and was less concerned than I was that the colours of the map were too vibrant to be old. Her view, however, was that the drawings themselves looked modern, that they do not reflect the way something may have been drawn long ago and that the painting of the map was probably quite new. She may be on to something. A close look at the map (not something I can show in a photo) reveals that there is text behind it, in the same script as the text on the reverse.

I'd love to know more about this map if there are any knowledgeable or sleuthy people out there who can help (or anyone who can read the Turkish).

In the meantime, despite it probably not actually being an antique map, it's still a beautiful bit of work and I'll happily keep it on my wall.