Rare Old Map of Western Spain and Portugal by Bartholomew, 1922: Lisbon, Porto, Cádiz, Gibraltar, Shipping Routes
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1922 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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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 1922 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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Spain & Portugal - western section is a consummate example of early twentieth-century British cartography, produced in 1922 for The Times atlas...
Continue readingSpain & Portugal - western section is a consummate example of early twentieth-century British cartography, produced in 1922 for The Times atlas by John George Bartholomew and the Edinburgh Geographical Institute. Issued as the second iteration of the 1920 edition, it superseded the venerable Andree plates of 1895 with Bartholomew’s modern, color-forward technique and up-to-date toponymy. Across the Atlantic façade of the Iberian Peninsula, hypsometric tints and bathymetric shading work in concert to reveal terrain and sea in lucid gradations, while corrections incorporated since the war years attest to the accelerating refinement of geographic knowledge. The elegant cartouche—characteristically Bartholomew in its clear typography and restrained ornament—anchors a composition that balances scientific precision with aesthetic poise.
The physical story of western Iberia is told through relief that rises from the ocean’s edge into serried ramparts and high plateaux. In Portugal, the Serra da Estrela crowns the interior, while the Tejo (Tagus), Douro, Minho, and Guadiana rivers carve decisive corridors from the uplands to the Atlantic. Eastward, the Sistema Central and the Sierra Morena articulate Spain’s backbone and southern threshold, steering waters toward the Duero and Guadalquivir basins. Along the Algarve and the Gulf of Cádiz, bathymetric tints trace the continental shelf and approaches to anchorage, the palette deepening over submarine valleys and gentle banks. Promontories—Cabo da Roca and Cabo de São Vicente—punctuate the coastline, the latter a perennial waypoint at Europe’s southwest corner.
Political ordering is rendered with crisp boundaries that delineate provinces and districts on both sides of the frontier: Salamanca and Cáceres shading into Badajoz, Huelva and Sevilla; Porto, Coimbra, Lisboa, Setúbal and Faro spanning Portugal’s littoral and interior. Urban symbols and legible labels prioritize the chief centers that anchor this region’s economy and culture. The insets concentrate the reader’s eye: Porto stretched along the Douro with quays and warehouses; Lisboa straddling the broad Tejo estuary, its docks and rail termini fanning inland; Cádiz poised on its bay’s narrow spit, gateway to the Atlantic; and Gibraltar, the rock-fortress commanding the strait. Each inset distills street patterns, harbor layouts, and fortifications into a compact navigational grammar.
Maritime space receives equal attention. Shipping routes, finely ruled and annotated with distances, radiate from Lisbon, Porto, Cádiz, and Gibraltar toward the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, stitching Iberia to the sea lanes of empire and trade. The measured tracks hint at the practical calculations of coal and time in the age of steam, while the bathymetric washes guide a mariner’s eye across shelves, soundings, and deeps along the Portuguese coast and the approaches to the Bay of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. Together, these elements capture a moment when hydrographic surveys and commercial schedules converged to map not only place, but movement.
John George Bartholomew—often styled the “Prince of Cartography”—brought to this sheet the house virtues of clarity, color, and synthesis. Under the imprint of the Edinburgh Geographical Institute, his team perfected hypsometric tints that communicate altitude intuitively, paired with spot heights for precision and bathymetric hues for the sea’s architecture. The Times atlas setting ensured rigorous editorial review and timely corrections, reflecting fresh triangulations, improved coastal surveys, and standardized place-names across Spanish and Portuguese usage. Supplanting Andree’s nineteenth-century plates, this 1922 issue stands at the hinge of eras: scientifically modern, visually humane, and alert to a geopolitics in which borders, ports, and routes mattered as never before.
Cities and towns on this map
- Lisboa (Lisbon)
- Cadiz
- Gibraltar (although a British Overseas Territory, it appears near the southern coast of Spain)
- Porto
Notable Features & Landmarks
- Inset Maps: Detailed views of Porto, Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Lisboa
- Relief Depiction: Hypsometric tints and spot heights for mountainous regions
- Bathymetric Tints: Illustrating depth variations along the coastline
- Shipping Routes: Clearly marked with distance annotations
- Political Boundaries: Clearly defined borders between regions within Spain and Portugal
- Natural Features: Major rivers and mountain ranges labeled
- Geographical Items: The cartographer’s cartouche indicating the title and publication details, typically ornate and characteristic of Bartholomew's style
Historical and design context
- Historical Context: Part of The Times atlas series; second issue of the 1920 edition; Bartholomew’s maps replaced Andree’s 1895 plates
- Design and Style: Color presentation using hypsometric tints, spot heights, and bathymetric tints; enhanced with major-city insets
- Topics and Themes: Detailed political and physical depiction of western Spain and Portugal, including relief, maritime shipping routes, and major urban centers
- Historical Significance: Incorporates up-to-date corrections reflecting early 20th-century advances in geography and cartography
- Mapmaker and Date: J. G. (John George) Bartholomew, 1922; published by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute, John Bartholomew & Son, Ltd.
Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.
This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). 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.
The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.
If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.
Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.
This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.
This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.
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.
Spain & Portugal - western section is a consummate example of early twentieth-century British cartography, produced in 1922 for The Times atlas by John George Bartholomew and the Edinburgh Geographical Institute. Issued as the second iteration of the 1920 edition, it superseded the venerable Andree plates of 1895 with Bartholomew’s modern, color-forward technique and up-to-date toponymy. Across the Atlantic façade of the Iberian Peninsula, hypsometric tints and bathymetric shading work in concert to reveal terrain and sea in lucid gradations, while corrections incorporated since the war years attest to the accelerating refinement of geographic knowledge. The elegant cartouche—characteristically Bartholomew in its clear typography and restrained ornament—anchors a composition that balances scientific precision with aesthetic poise.
The physical story of western Iberia is told through relief that rises from the ocean’s edge into serried ramparts and high plateaux. In Portugal, the Serra da Estrela crowns the interior, while the Tejo (Tagus), Douro, Minho, and Guadiana rivers carve decisive corridors from the uplands to the Atlantic. Eastward, the Sistema Central and the Sierra Morena articulate Spain’s backbone and southern threshold, steering waters toward the Duero and Guadalquivir basins. Along the Algarve and the Gulf of Cádiz, bathymetric tints trace the continental shelf and approaches to anchorage, the palette deepening over submarine valleys and gentle banks. Promontories—Cabo da Roca and Cabo de São Vicente—punctuate the coastline, the latter a perennial waypoint at Europe’s southwest corner.
Political ordering is rendered with crisp boundaries that delineate provinces and districts on both sides of the frontier: Salamanca and Cáceres shading into Badajoz, Huelva and Sevilla; Porto, Coimbra, Lisboa, Setúbal and Faro spanning Portugal’s littoral and interior. Urban symbols and legible labels prioritize the chief centers that anchor this region’s economy and culture. The insets concentrate the reader’s eye: Porto stretched along the Douro with quays and warehouses; Lisboa straddling the broad Tejo estuary, its docks and rail termini fanning inland; Cádiz poised on its bay’s narrow spit, gateway to the Atlantic; and Gibraltar, the rock-fortress commanding the strait. Each inset distills street patterns, harbor layouts, and fortifications into a compact navigational grammar.
Maritime space receives equal attention. Shipping routes, finely ruled and annotated with distances, radiate from Lisbon, Porto, Cádiz, and Gibraltar toward the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, stitching Iberia to the sea lanes of empire and trade. The measured tracks hint at the practical calculations of coal and time in the age of steam, while the bathymetric washes guide a mariner’s eye across shelves, soundings, and deeps along the Portuguese coast and the approaches to the Bay of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. Together, these elements capture a moment when hydrographic surveys and commercial schedules converged to map not only place, but movement.
John George Bartholomew—often styled the “Prince of Cartography”—brought to this sheet the house virtues of clarity, color, and synthesis. Under the imprint of the Edinburgh Geographical Institute, his team perfected hypsometric tints that communicate altitude intuitively, paired with spot heights for precision and bathymetric hues for the sea’s architecture. The Times atlas setting ensured rigorous editorial review and timely corrections, reflecting fresh triangulations, improved coastal surveys, and standardized place-names across Spanish and Portuguese usage. Supplanting Andree’s nineteenth-century plates, this 1922 issue stands at the hinge of eras: scientifically modern, visually humane, and alert to a geopolitics in which borders, ports, and routes mattered as never before.
Cities and towns on this map
- Lisboa (Lisbon)
- Cadiz
- Gibraltar (although a British Overseas Territory, it appears near the southern coast of Spain)
- Porto
Notable Features & Landmarks
- Inset Maps: Detailed views of Porto, Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Lisboa
- Relief Depiction: Hypsometric tints and spot heights for mountainous regions
- Bathymetric Tints: Illustrating depth variations along the coastline
- Shipping Routes: Clearly marked with distance annotations
- Political Boundaries: Clearly defined borders between regions within Spain and Portugal
- Natural Features: Major rivers and mountain ranges labeled
- Geographical Items: The cartographer’s cartouche indicating the title and publication details, typically ornate and characteristic of Bartholomew's style
Historical and design context
- Historical Context: Part of The Times atlas series; second issue of the 1920 edition; Bartholomew’s maps replaced Andree’s 1895 plates
- Design and Style: Color presentation using hypsometric tints, spot heights, and bathymetric tints; enhanced with major-city insets
- Topics and Themes: Detailed political and physical depiction of western Spain and Portugal, including relief, maritime shipping routes, and major urban centers
- Historical Significance: Incorporates up-to-date corrections reflecting early 20th-century advances in geography and cartography
- Mapmaker and Date: J. G. (John George) Bartholomew, 1922; published by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute, John Bartholomew & Son, Ltd.
Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.
This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). 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.
The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.
If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.
Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.
This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.
This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.
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.
If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.
I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.
I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.
Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.
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