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Reference & Research

Map Resources

Favourite sites for finding information on historical maps of Los Angeles

A curated list of digital archives, dealers, and research collections most useful for studying the cartographic history of Los Angeles. These are the resources I return to most when researching pieces for the collection.

Libraries & Archives
01
Los Angeles Public Library — Visual Map Collection
The LAPL's digitized map holdings covering Los Angeles city and county, searchable by date, neighborhood, and subject.
→ 02
The Huntington Library — Digital Map Collection
High-resolution digitized maps from the Huntington's renowned cartographic holdings, with strong Southern California representation.
→ 03
California Digital Newspaper Collection
Full-text searchable archive of California newspapers — invaluable for researching the historical context of maps and their publication.
→ 04
LA DWP Museum — Early LA Buildings Photo Collection
Photographs of Los Angeles buildings from 1900–1925, useful for cross-referencing structures shown on period maps.
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Digital Map Collections
05
The David Rumsey Map Collection
Over 150,000 digitized historical maps online, including a substantial Baist real estate atlas series and many Los Angeles-area items. The single most useful resource for comparative research.
→ 06
Old Maps Online — Interactive Map Search
A geographical search engine aggregating digitized map holdings from institutions worldwide, searchable by location and date range.
→ 07
Historic Map Works
Large database of scanned historical real estate atlases and plat maps, with good coverage of Los Angeles county and city surveys.
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Dealers & Trade
08
Art Source International
Rare map dealer with a searchable inventory — filter by Los Angeles to find antique maps available for purchase.
→ 09
Murray Hudson — Antique Maps, Globes & Prints
Specialist dealer in antique maps and globes, pre-filtered here for Los Angeles items dated 1800–1930.
→ 10
Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps
One of the leading dealers in antique cartography, with an extensive searchable online inventory and deep expertise in American maps.
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Reference & Scholarship
11
The Big Map Blog — Los Angeles
A blog devoted to historical maps, with a dedicated Los Angeles tag covering notable items and cartographic curiosities.
→ 12
California Map Society — List of Printed Maps of California
A scholarly checklist of printed California maps, useful for dating and attributing items in the collection.
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