City Illustrations

December 27, 2020 1:43 AM

"Papertowns: well-crafted pictorial maps, detailed panoramic cityscapes, broad aerial vistas, intricate bird's-eye views, even full 3D reconstructions both digital and physical. We enjoy anything from the famed citadels of antiquity to the quaint towns of the middle ages and the vibrant metropolises of our time."
posted by metabaroque (4 comments total)

The cartoonist Seth has done some wonderful work in this area, not just in his comics but also in 3D form. The cardboard models of buildings he constructs are now plentiful enough to form a whole city in his basement. He calls the place Dominion.
posted by Paul Slade at 3:18 AM on December 27, 2020 [6 favorites]

Back in the good old days, 1940 to be specific, a huge 3D map of San Francisco was constructed. It’s sat in a warehouse for years. Recently, it’s been restored and sections of it based on neighborhoods, were put on display in those neighborhoods.
posted by njohnson23 at 8:51 AM on December 27, 2020

Surprisingly heavy representation for central European towns in this subreddit!
posted by migurski at 10:24 AM on December 27, 2020

This is so great. I love this map of Los Angelesa from 1932.

I didn't know Reddit had anything like this. I'm looking forward to exploring more.

Thanks for posting this, metabaroque! Very, very cool.
posted by kristi at 1:05 PM on December 29, 2020