Have you ever looked at a finished product and just know that its creator really put his or her soul into it? Think the KitchenAid mixer, the Scenicruiser bus, Sanborn maps. The last of these was a series of maps created from just after the Civil War to 2007 to assess fire insurance liabilities. Today, due to their exacting detail, they are used by historians and preservationists for insight into cities of the past. And to the typophile, their cover sheets continue to provide a dose of beauty and inspiration. Below are some examples of titling from Sanborn maps. Here are many more.
Click for larger view. H/T to map expert Michael Fry.
