Retro-Future 1926 East Los Angeles Map with 218′ Sea Level Rise

This is a restored vintage 1926 USGS map of East Los Angeles (Alhambra Quad), with 218′ of sea level rise and modern hillshade applied.

One of six maps in the Los Angeles Polytych series…six adjacent vintage and retro-future maps, each with three variations, that look amazing as a diptych, triptych, or more.

We take vintage maps, remove stains, blemishes, tears and stamps, while maintaining the aged character of the document. The patina may include small irregularities or discolorations, but nothing that will detract from the beauty of the antique map.

For the Retro-Future series, we add modern hillshading and 218′ of sea level rise (the highest level predicted by the IPCC), to create an image with three points in time: the original map, modern hillshade, and future sea level rise.

As you examine it closely, you will notice that the modern hillshade and the future sea level rise don’t always align perfectly with the vintage map. Shorelines shift, wetlands are filled, docks and piers come and go. Hillsides are excavated for quarries or freeways, dams are built and valleys flooded. Surveying techniques have become more precise, and landscapes more accurately documented in modern cartographic data. Many of these differences can be seen in every map, and can be fascinating to observe.

These are museum-quality posters made on thick and durable matte paper.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%