Product Guide

OUR PRODUCTS

We sell both antique maps and fine art reproductions of the maps in our collection. Select "Authentic Antique Map" from the online purchase options to purchase the real deal, an antique map produced years ago. See below for details, including pricing and lead times, about our maps, fine art reproductions, and frames.

Do we sell antique maps or reproductions? Both! We offer both authentic antique maps as well as reproductions. Just select which you like from the options provided for the map you are looking at. If the authentic antique map purchase button is greyed out, then it has sold out. Authentic antique maps are limited in quantity, often just to one we have in stock. Regardless of availability of the our website. The buttons for maps are never greyed out.

Gift Products

• Wood "Entering" Signs are each fabricated and painted to order. Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for production.
• In-stock, non-custom gift products (books, greeting cards, etc.) typically ship within a few business days.
• Fine art prints and other printed-to-order map art typically ships withing a few business days.

Antique Maps

• Availability: Antique maps are available when we have them. The website will indicate "sold out" if the antique map is no longer available. Fine art reproductions of every map in our collection are always available.
• Lead time: Unframed antique maps are typically ready for shipment or pickup within a few days of order placement. Some antique maps listed on our website must be brought in from other dealers. In those cases, additional days are required to get those maps to us before shipping or pickup can take place. If ordering a framed antique map, see lead times for frames below.
• What are Authentic Antique Maps? Authentic Antique Maps are the real deal, the original artifact. They are authentic maps produced as dated on our website. They are limited in number.
• How do we determine prices for Authentic Antique Maps? We determine the price of each map based on condition, location mapped, desirability, and rarity, among other factors. We sell for multiple dealers. With each dealer setting their own price, sometimes the same map will be in our collection with different prices.
• Where do we get our antique maps? We travel the world to source maps for our collection. We purchase on the private market from collectors, dealers, and individuals. There is no single source for antique maps. Knowing where to look, how to source, and what is a good investment are tricks of our trade.
• What are Cadastral Maps? We specialize in cadastral maps, cartographic time capsules representing the natural and built forms of locales across America. Cadastral maps represent structures, building materiality, property ownership, and infrastructure. Cadastral maps were used by municipalities, real estate firms, attorneys, surveyors, insurance companies and others that needed a detailed record of where properties were located, what was built on them, and who owned them. Cadastral map makers used a graphic code of bright colors to indicate the construction types of the buildings, i.e. pink for brick and yellow for wood. Cadastral maps were published to paying subscribers in bound atlases. Each cadastral atlas depicted a specific county, city or neighborhood and typically had 20-40 maps known as "plates." Each plate showed a specific geographic area, usually only a few city blocks or a portion of a town. A few plates depicted part or all of one city ward, hence our moniker, "ward maps."

Fine Art Prints / Reproduction Maps

• Printing: We print in-house to control all aspects of print quality and consistency.
• Printers: We exclusively utilize Epson commercial-grade Ultrachrome printers and pigment inks.
• Papers: We print onto Epson Premium and Ultra-premium matte-finish papers engineered for Epson Ultrachrome printers.
• Paper Sizes / Prices:
• Small 8 1/2" x 11" Paper = $14.95
• Studio 11" x 14" Paper = $19.95
• Medium 13" x 19" Paper = $29.95
• Intermediate 18" x 24" Paper = $49.95
• Large 24" x 36" Paper = $69.95
• Oversize (Special Order Only) 44" Paper = $22.50/SF

• Quality: Our fine art prints are museum-quality, no-fade, color-stable, acid-free, and archival.
• Layout: All maps are printed as large as possible onto the selected paper size. The original proportions of the map are maintained. No stretching to fill the paper occurs. Given that the proportions of each map rarely matches that of the paper, there is always white space around the map. Maps are centered onto the paper as much as possible.
• Lead time: Unframed prints are typically ready for shipment or pickup within a few days of order placement.
• How do we digitize our maps? The vast majority of our antique maps have been scanned by us, in-house through a large-format, commercial-grade, feed-scanner scanner. Maps are scanned at 300-1200dpi in a single pass, allowing us to capture all of the detailed text, colors, building plans and place names of each map. We do not assemble any of our maps from a series of smaller scans. For oversize and fragile maps we outsource the digitalization and utilize a high resolution digital camera, similar to that used by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston to capture large art work for printing. Certain maps are already digitized by third parties for inclusion in our collection. We only work with digital files of the highest resolution and quality.
• Who makes our map reproductions? We print in-house to control all aspects of print quality and consistency.
• What printers and papers do you use? We exclusively utilize Epson commercial-grade Ultrachrome printers and pigment inks. We print onto Epson Premium and Ultra-premium matte-finish papers engineered for Epson Ultrachrome printers. Our fine art prints are museum-quality, no-fade, color-stable, acid-free, and archival.
• How are maps formatted onto paper? All maps are printed as large as possible onto the selected paper size. The original proportions of the map are maintained. No stretching to fill the paper occurs. Given that the proportions of each map rarely matches that of the paper, there is always white space around the map. Maps are centered onto the paper as much as possible. Maps are oriented onto paper with the long side of the map printed to align with the long side of the paper. Maps are always centered within each piece of paper.
  
• Will watermarks appear on printed maps? The "WardMaps LLC" watermarks seen on maps displayed on the website will not appear on either the authentic antique maps nor fine art map reproductions. The watermark is only visible on maps displayed on our website.

FRAMING

• Fabrication: All of our frames are 100% made in Cambridge, Massachusetts USA. We have a longstanding relationship with a local fine art framer who exclusively produces all of our frames.
• Types: We offer three types of framing. Each has different styles. Scroll down for details about each.
• Custom/Archival Framing
• Economy/Non-Archival Framing
• Small/No Matting; Studio/No Matting; Medium/No Matting Framing
• Why choose Custom/Archival framing? We recommend Custom/Archival frames when framing any antique map. All antique maps can fade when exposed to direct or indirect sunlight. Custom/Archival frames feature UV-resistant glazing to protect an antique map from fading. Custom/Archival frames feature acid-free mat boards and backing boards that will not damage  antique maps. Store bought frames typically do not use UV-resistant glass nor acid-free materials. A Custom/Archival frame is the best way to protect and display an antique map for the ages. We do not offer glare-reducing glazing.
• Why choose Economy/Non-Archival framing? Economy/Non-Archival frames are perfect for our reproduction maps. Since our fine art prints are archival (made with archival inks and acid-free papers), UV-resistant glazing nor acid-free boards are required to protect the reproduction. Economy/Non-Archival frames offer a sensible price point and affordable way to bring a framed map into any space. We do not offer glare-reducing glazing.
• Frame Prices/Sizes: All frame prices listed below do not include the cost of any antique map, map reproduction, print, shipping, or sales tax. See any individual map page on our site to explore calculated total costs for map + frame + sales tax + shipping. Scroll down for reproduction map + frame price totals.
• Custom/Archival Small = $125
• Custom/Archival Medium = $175
• Custom/Archival Intermediate = $225
• Custom/Archival Large = $275
• Economy/Non-Archival Small (11" x 14") = $60
• Economy/Non-Archival Medium (16" x 20") = $80
• Small/No Matting (8 1/2" x 11") = $45
• Studio/No Matting (11" x 14") = $50
• Medium/No Matting (13" x 19") = $60
  
• 18" x 24" No Matting = $80 (available in store only)
• Frame Sizes:
• Custom/Archival Small: Add approx. 5" to width and 5" to height of the map. For an 8 1/2 x 11" map, frame size works out to approx. 13" +/- x 16" +/- . **
• Custom/Archival Medium: Add approx. 6" to width and 6" to height of the map. For a 13" x 19" map, frame size works out to approx. 19" +/- x 25" +/- . **
• Custom/Archival Intermediate: Add approx. 8" to width and 8" to height of the map. For an 18" x 24" map, frame size works out to approx. 26" +/- x 32" +/- .**
• Custom/Archival Large: Add approx. 10" to width and 10" to height of the map. For a 24" x 36" map, frame size works out to approx. 34" +/- x 46" +/- .**
• Economy/Non-Archival Small = 11" x 14"
• Economy/Non-Archival Medium = 16" x 20"
• Small/No Matting = 8 1/2" x 11"
• Studio/No Matting = 11" x 14"
• Medium/No Matting = 13" x 19"
  
  **These sizes are approximate because we build each custom frame around the size of each fine art print (map reproduction) image size or authentic antique map size.
  
  
• Frame Shipping: Small and Medium Frames are shipped in robust packaging with insurance. As of Jan. 1, 2023, we no longer offer shipping of Intermediate Frames and Large Frames. We continue to offer in-store pick up for all frames, regardless of size.
  
  
• Lead Times:
• Custom/Archival Frames are hand-fabricated to order at our outside fine art framer's shop. They have a lead time of 2-3 weeks before they are ready for shipment or pick up. As of Jan. 1, 2023, we no longer offer shipping of Intermediate Frames and Large Frames.
• Economy/Non-Archival Frames are hand-fabricated to order at our outside fine art framer's shop. They have a lead time of 1-2 weeks before they are ready for shipment or pick up.
  
• Small/No Matting, Studio/No Matting, and Medium/No Matting Frames have their final assembly produced in house. They have a lead time of approximately one week or less before they are ready for shipment or pick up.
• Wood "Entering" Signs are each fabricated and painted to order. Please allow 2-3 weeks for production.

Fine Art Reproduction + Frame = Total Framed Map Price

• Small Print ($14.95) + Small/No Matting ($45) = $59.95
• Small Print ($14.95) + Economy/Non-Archival ($60) = $74.95
• Small Print ($14.95) + Custom/Archival Frame ($125) = $139.95
• Studio Print ($19.95) + Studio/No Matting ($50) = $69.95
• Medium Print ($29.95) + Medium/No Matting ($60) = $89.95
• Medium Print ($29.95) + Economy/Non-Archival ($80) = $109.95
• Medium Print ($29.95) + Custom/Archival Frame ($175) = $204.95
• Interm. Print ($49.95) + Economy/No Matting ($80) = $129.95*
• Interm. Print ($49.95) + Custom/Archival Frame ($225) = $274.95**
• Large Print ($69.95) + Custom/Archival Frame ($275) = $344.95**
  *Available in store only.
  **As of Jan. 1, 2023, we no longer offer shipping of Intermediate Frames and Large Frames.

FRAME TYPES

Custom/Archival Frames are constructed from painted wood with UV-resistant glazing to protect an antique map from fading. Custom/Archival frames feature acid-free mat boards and backing boards that will not damage the antique map. Each Custom/Archival frame comes with professional paper backing, hanging wire installed, and even a hook and a nail (see photo below). We offer four styles of Custom/Archival frames.

Custom/Archival: Black Basic
Smooth black finish on simple, modern, squared profile

Custom/Archival: Black Stepped
Smooth black finish on tiered or "stepped" profile

Custom/Archival: Cherry Finish
This frame has a reddish-brown color with wood texture. Two versions are photographed. The thinner/smaller profile is used with small and medium frames. The thicker/larger is used with intermediate and large frames.

Custom/Archival: Mahogany Finish
This frame has brown with slight red tinge color and wood texture. Two versions are photographed. The thinner/smaller version is used with small and medium frames. The thicker/larger version is used with intermediate and large frames.

Custom/Archival Frame: Walnut Finish
This frame is brown in color with wood texture. Two versions are photographed. The thinner/smaller profile is used with small and medium frames. The thicker/larger is used with intermediate and large frames.

Economy/Non-Archival Frames are constructed from painted wood with with plate glass. They are perfect for our reproduction maps. Since our fine art prints are archival (made with archival inks and acid-free papers), UV-resistant glazing nor acid-free boards are required to protect the reproduction. To keep costs down and offer the highest quality at the lowest price, Economy/Non-Archival frames are available in one style, black with a square profile. Each frame comes with claw hanger on the back.

Small/No-Matting and Studio/No-Matting Frames are the same as our Economy/Non-Archival frames except that they lack matting. They accommodate our Small 8 1/2" x 11" and Studio 11" x 14" fine art prints. To keep costs down and offer the highest quality at the lowest price, these frames are available in one style, black with a square profile. Each frame comes with claw hanger on the back.

Medium/No-Matting Frames are the same as our Economy/Non-Archival frames except that they lack matting. They accommodate our Medium 13" x 19" prints. To keep costs down and offer the highest quality at the lowest price, these frames are available in one style, black with a square profile. Each frame comes with claw hanger on the back.