Pictorial Map of Edinburgh and Leith

Scarce pictorial city plan of Scotland’s capital.

This is an unusual art deco style plan of Edinburgh, Scotland by George A. Reid. The image presents the whole of the city with important monuments and buildings represented in profile. Color is used to differentiate between urban density, greenspace and water; while various streets, parks, and businesses as well as railways, ferries, buses and trolleys are labeled individually.

Pictorial maps such as this generally focus on other European capitals, such as Paris and London, and Reid’s is one of the few to give attention to the Scottish capital. This is the ‘Clarinda Edition’ of the map, referring to the ‘Story of Clarinda’ which appears on the verso along with a biography of Mary Queen of Scots. Clarinda was an Edinburgh native who had a clandestine affair with Robert Burns, inspiring, some say, much of his best work.