19th Century

1859 Map of John Snow’s London

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John Snow is the father of modern epidemiology, having tracked the source of a cholera outbreak in London in 1855, thanks to some good old fashioned detective work. It’s a story worth reading, but I won’t go into it here.

At any rate, the UCLA Department of Epidemiology has an interactive online map of London in 1859. You can zoom in on the map down to an amazing level.

I actually have a copy of the map (framed for posterity) that I acquired when I was in my victorian role playing phase. It was hard to find then. Fortunately, you don’t have to conduct the smae long search that I did. You can just look at it online.

Free Waterloo Articles Bundle From Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy

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For the 200th anniversary of the Waterloo campaign, Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy offers a free downloadable bundle of articles from their magazine.

Austrian Uniforms 1448 – 1896

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The New York Public Library’s Digital Gallery has a large collection of prints of Austrian uniforms from 1448 – 1896. It’s an incredible painting guide.

Stroll The White City

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The Chicago Tribune has a gallery with some long-forgotten photographs of the Chicago Exposition of 1893. It’s a visual treat for Victorian era enthusiasts. And while you’re at it, I highly recommend the book “Devil In The White City,” a true-crime story about a serial murderer n Chicago at the time of the fair.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

Confederate American Civil War Maps

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The Library of Congress has a collection of

cartographic items made by Major Jedediah Hotchkiss (1828-1899), a topographic engineer in the Confederate Army. Hotchkiss made detailed battle maps primarily of the Shenandoah Valley, some of which were used by the Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson for their combat planning and strategy. Several of the maps have annotations of various military officers, demonstrating their importance in the military campaigns. The collection also includes maps made or used by Hotchkiss during his post-war years, including maps with information about railroads, minerals and mining, geology and history, most of which focus on Virginia and West Virginia, but also cover other states and even the world.

The collection consists of 341 sketchbooks, manuscripts, and annotated printed maps, the originals of which reside in the Library of Congress’ Geography and Map Division.

A good many of these are available online