Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1752 Map with State House View
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1752 Map with State House View
Experience colonial Philadelphia at its peak with this extraordinary 1752 map by Nicholas Scull and George Heap, featuring a detailed perspective view of the Pennsylvania State House—the building that would later be renamed Independence Hall after hosting the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Created just 70 years after William Penn founded the city, this hand-colored map documents Philadelphia as it emerged as British America's largest and most prosperous city.
The Colonial Capital
This remarkable map reveals Philadelphia's complete geography in the mid-18th century. The main map displays the famous grid-plan city along the Delaware River, with surrounding rural areas showing individual landowners' names marked at their properties. The Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers frame the settled area, while pictorial symbols mark buildings throughout the countryside. Text boxes on either side provide descriptions of the city's key features and institutions. A distance table aids travelers navigating the region. The crowning feature is the elegant perspective view of the State House at the top—a detailed architectural rendering showing the building's symmetrical Georgian design with its central tower and flanking wings. This stately edifice, completed in the 1740s, served as the Pennsylvania colonial legislature and would, within two decades, become the birthplace of American independence.
Historical Significance
The 1752 Scull-Heap map preserves Philadelphia at a pivotal moment. By mid-century, Philadelphia had grown from Penn's "greene countrie towne" of 1682 into a sophisticated city of over 15,000 residents—the largest city in British North America. The city's prosperity from trade, shipbuilding, and commerce had funded the construction of grand public buildings, churches, and institutions like the Library Company and Pennsylvania Hospital. The State House shown in this map would, in 1776, host the Continental Congress and witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence, forever transforming it into Independence Hall—America's most sacred civic space. This map, created by Pennsylvania's surveyor general Nicholas Scull and surveyor George Heap, represents the first state of the first edition and is considered one of the most important 18th-century Philadelphia maps. It documents the colonial city at the height of its pre-Revolutionary prosperity, preserving the landscape and landmarks that would soon be transformed by the American Revolution.
Museum-Quality Reproduction
This is a high-quality reproduction of the original 1752 hand-colored map, professionally printed using museum-grade methods and materials to preserve every detail of this historically significant document.
Perfect For:
- Philadelphia residents and Pennsylvania history enthusiasts
- Colonial history and Revolutionary War collectors
- Students of American founding and Independence Hall
- Anyone passionate about early American cartography
- Gift-giving for Philadelphia natives and history lovers
Specifications:
- Original Publication: 1752
- Title: A map of Philadelphia and parts adjacent: with a perspective view of the State-House
- Cartographers: Nicholas Scull and George Heap
- Style: Hand-colored colonial map with architectural perspective view
- Features: State House (Independence Hall) view, landowners' names, distance table, text descriptions
- Historical Context: Colonial Philadelphia before the American Revolution, first state of first edition
- Product Type: High-Quality Reproduction Print
Dimensions (Width x Height): 17.5 x 29.1
Each map is printed using the finest materials and methods. Your map will be handled with white gloves from start to finish. We use the Giclee printing method on Hahnemuhle paper, which produces a clear, extremely detailed, durable map that is perfect to be proudly displayed in your home or office.
Digital watermark does not appear on your purchased map.
