The 250-Year-Old Ratzer Map on Video

The Brooklyn Historical Society’s recent unveiling of a 250-year-old map of New York City has garnered much hoopla over the last couple weeks. And with good reason—the map was restored from a crumbly, neglected state into a historic work of art. The map will be on display until Friday, after which it will be exhibited at a later date. If you can’t make it to the BHS because of the weather, catch the video after the jump. You’ll see that the mapmaker and surveyor, Bernard Ratzer, combined attention to detail with a love of craftsmanship. Video after the jump.
The NY Times has an interactive feature showing before and after photos of the map.

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  • http://loscalzo.posterous.com Homer Fink

    Wow. The story of how they removed the varnish on the map is amazing… talk about high anxiety!

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    Brava, Heather! Nice job.

  • Lou K.

    Great stuff, thanks!!