BIG Map Blogs has done it again. They've digitized one of the best vintage birdseye maps of Philadelphia you'll ever see: an 1885 map that has intricate drawings around the periphery of local buildings and street scenes. It's the kind of map you can lost in for hours—if you're a Philly nerd, that is. The process of making the map zoomable was tough: "I don't like to complain about my first-world problems much, but boy was this Burk & McFetridge birdseye map of Philadelphia a pain in the ass to optimize. It's beautiful, though, so I soldiered through... but all-told I spent a couple hours on this thing. ... Philadelphia, I hope you like the map. Show the BIG Map Blog some brotherly love and send it along to all of your friends." Done!
· B and M Birdseye Map of Philadelphia (1885) [Big Map Blog]