Rare Old Map of Albany, New York by USGS, 1953: Hudson River, Normans Kill & Pine Bush Preserve
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1956 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored from the original 1956 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
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Published in 1956 from 1953 survey data, the United States Geological Survey’s “Albany” captures New York’s capital at a revealing mid-century moment....
Continue readingPublished in 1956 from 1953 survey data, the United States Geological Survey’s “Albany” captures New York’s capital at a revealing mid-century moment. The map presents Albany not simply as a city, but as a layered landscape of government, commerce, residential streets, rail corridors, waterways, and rising ground above the Hudson River. At 1:24,000 scale, it offers the intimacy of a local plan with the authority of a national survey, showing the city’s urban fabric in relation to its natural setting. The title’s plainness—“Albany”—belies the richness of the sheet: a capital city poised between older riverfront patterns and the expanding automobile-age geography that would reshape the region in the decades after publication.
The United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the definitive American institution for mapping terrain, water systems, mineral resources, and landforms with scientific precision. Its topographic quadrangles are prized for their disciplined visual language: contour lines, elevation marks, hydrography, transportation networks, and cultural features arranged into a coherent portrait of place. This Albany sheet reflects that tradition beautifully. Shaded relief gives the terrain a sculptural quality, while color differentiates developed areas, open land, woodland, and water. The grid overlay reinforces the practical purpose of the map, enabling accurate orientation across a city whose streets, slopes, and river margins are all carefully registered.
Albany itself appears as a dense and varied urban organism, with its neighborhoods, civic districts, schools, institutional grounds, commercial corridors, and residential blocks clearly distinguished within the wider topographic frame. Areas such as Center Square and Pine Hills evoke the city’s architectural and social texture, while the mapped street network records the compactness of older settlement patterns. The Hudson River anchors the eastern edge of the city, recalling Albany’s long history as a port, trading center, and political capital. Railroads and major roads trace the infrastructure that connected the city to the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, and the broader northeastern United States.
The surrounding landscape gives the map much of its character. The Hudson River’s broad course contrasts with smaller waterways such as Normans Kill, whose valley cuts through the terrain and marks a natural boundary in the city’s southern reaches. Contours reveal the gradual rise from river lowlands to upland neighborhoods, making visible the hills and depressions that shaped Albany’s growth. Westward, the sandy and pine-dotted landscapes associated with the Albany Pine Bush stand apart from the denser urban grid, while regional open spaces and parks, including areas connected to the Helderberg landscape and Thacher State Park, suggest the dramatic natural settings beyond the city.
As a historical document, this map is especially compelling for what it records before later waves of redevelopment, highway construction, suburban expansion, and institutional growth altered Albany’s appearance. It preserves the mid-20th-century relationship between neighborhoods, rail lines, riverfront industry, open ground, and emerging road systems. The city is shown at a moment when older forms of movement—river, rail, and local streetcar-era corridors—still strongly influenced its geography, even as modern arterial roads and automobile-oriented planning were becoming more prominent. For collectors, historians, and admirers of urban cartography, the “Albany” quadrangle offers a precise and evocative portrait of a capital city in transition.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Albany, NY
- Hudson River
- Normans Kill
- Pine Bush Preserve
- Thacher State Park
- Center Square
- Pine Hills
- Parks and open spaces
- Main roads and highways, including I-787 and NY-32
- Railroads
- Schools and universities within the city area
- Notable landmarks and buildings
- Residential and commercial districts
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Albany, New York and the surrounding area
- Original survey data from 1953; published with a 1956 imprint
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey, known for accurate and detailed topographic mapping
- Shows Albany’s mid-20th-century urban development, including residential areas and transportation networks
- Uses shaded relief to depict elevation changes
- Employs color to distinguish land uses such as residential and natural areas
- Includes a grid overlay to support navigation and orientation
- Reveals varied terrain, including hills, lowlands and waterways
- Documents the natural and built environment before later modern development changes
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Published in 1956 from 1953 survey data, the United States Geological Survey’s “Albany” captures New York’s capital at a revealing mid-century moment. The map presents Albany not simply as a city, but as a layered landscape of government, commerce, residential streets, rail corridors, waterways, and rising ground above the Hudson River. At 1:24,000 scale, it offers the intimacy of a local plan with the authority of a national survey, showing the city’s urban fabric in relation to its natural setting. The title’s plainness—“Albany”—belies the richness of the sheet: a capital city poised between older riverfront patterns and the expanding automobile-age geography that would reshape the region in the decades after publication.
The United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the definitive American institution for mapping terrain, water systems, mineral resources, and landforms with scientific precision. Its topographic quadrangles are prized for their disciplined visual language: contour lines, elevation marks, hydrography, transportation networks, and cultural features arranged into a coherent portrait of place. This Albany sheet reflects that tradition beautifully. Shaded relief gives the terrain a sculptural quality, while color differentiates developed areas, open land, woodland, and water. The grid overlay reinforces the practical purpose of the map, enabling accurate orientation across a city whose streets, slopes, and river margins are all carefully registered.
Albany itself appears as a dense and varied urban organism, with its neighborhoods, civic districts, schools, institutional grounds, commercial corridors, and residential blocks clearly distinguished within the wider topographic frame. Areas such as Center Square and Pine Hills evoke the city’s architectural and social texture, while the mapped street network records the compactness of older settlement patterns. The Hudson River anchors the eastern edge of the city, recalling Albany’s long history as a port, trading center, and political capital. Railroads and major roads trace the infrastructure that connected the city to the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, and the broader northeastern United States.
The surrounding landscape gives the map much of its character. The Hudson River’s broad course contrasts with smaller waterways such as Normans Kill, whose valley cuts through the terrain and marks a natural boundary in the city’s southern reaches. Contours reveal the gradual rise from river lowlands to upland neighborhoods, making visible the hills and depressions that shaped Albany’s growth. Westward, the sandy and pine-dotted landscapes associated with the Albany Pine Bush stand apart from the denser urban grid, while regional open spaces and parks, including areas connected to the Helderberg landscape and Thacher State Park, suggest the dramatic natural settings beyond the city.
As a historical document, this map is especially compelling for what it records before later waves of redevelopment, highway construction, suburban expansion, and institutional growth altered Albany’s appearance. It preserves the mid-20th-century relationship between neighborhoods, rail lines, riverfront industry, open ground, and emerging road systems. The city is shown at a moment when older forms of movement—river, rail, and local streetcar-era corridors—still strongly influenced its geography, even as modern arterial roads and automobile-oriented planning were becoming more prominent. For collectors, historians, and admirers of urban cartography, the “Albany” quadrangle offers a precise and evocative portrait of a capital city in transition.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Albany, NY
- Hudson River
- Normans Kill
- Pine Bush Preserve
- Thacher State Park
- Center Square
- Pine Hills
- Parks and open spaces
- Main roads and highways, including I-787 and NY-32
- Railroads
- Schools and universities within the city area
- Notable landmarks and buildings
- Residential and commercial districts
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Albany, New York and the surrounding area
- Original survey data from 1953; published with a 1956 imprint
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey, known for accurate and detailed topographic mapping
- Shows Albany’s mid-20th-century urban development, including residential areas and transportation networks
- Uses shaded relief to depict elevation changes
- Employs color to distinguish land uses such as residential and natural areas
- Includes a grid overlay to support navigation and orientation
- Reveals varied terrain, including hills, lowlands and waterways
- Documents the natural and built environment before later modern development changes
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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