Letts’s Map of the City of Paris, issued in 1892 by Thomas Letts and Letts Son & Co Limited of London, is a richly worked portrait of the French capital at the height of its Belle Époque confidence. At a generous scale of four inches to the mile, the plan deploys crisp color coding: green for parks and promenades, blue for the Seine, and bright swathes for omnibus lines, all marshaled by a meticulous key. An ornate border frames a city newly ordered by Haussmann, its boulevards and squares reading like a manifesto of modern urban life. As a city map, it is compelling for how it fuses spectacle and structure—offering a lucid guide not just to where Paris is, but to how it moves, congregates, and aspires.

The color-keyed omnibus network is the map’s living anatomy, a pre-metro lattice that reveals how Parisians actually traversed the city in the 1890s. Routes sweep along Rue de Rivoli and Boulevard de l’Opéra toward the Opéra Garnier, cross the Right Bank on Boulevard Haussmann and Boulevard Montmartre, and plunge Left Bank via Boulevard Saint-Michel and Boulevard Saint-Germain. Place de la République emerges as a pivotal interchange, fed by Avenue de la République, Rue de la République, and Rue de Marseille; to the west, Avenue des Champs-Élysées radiates toward the Étoile, intersecting Avenue de Wagram and Avenue Victor Hugo. Lines threading Rue Saint-Lazare and Rue de la Pépinière knit the grands magasins quarter to the mainline stations—proof of a city synchronizing commerce, leisure, and mobility on horse-drawn timetables.

Public buildings, carefully enumerated by Letts’s key, anchor the plan’s narrative of power and culture. The Louvre and Tuileries precinct stretches along Rue de Rivoli to Place de la Concorde, while the Opéra presides over Boulevard de l’Opéra and Rue de la Paix. On the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame and the Palais de Justice occupy the river’s heart; upstream and downstream, bridges link the banks in an elegant cadence. Left Bank scholarship clusters around the Sorbonne on Rue de l’École de Médecine and the Panthéon near Rue des Écoles, while statecraft and memory concentrate at Les Invalides, bounded by Rue Saint-Dominique and Rue de la Tour Maubourg. The map’s iconography makes institutional Paris instantly legible—precise, navigable, and grand.

Neighborhoods are rendered with a sensitivity that exposes the city’s social and spatial contrasts. The shopping and theater districts around Rue Lafayette, Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin, and Rue Saint-Lazare glow with the new consumer modernity; to the east, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine and Rue de Charonne lead into the artisanal and industrial quarters. The Latin Quarter unfolds in a scholastic grid around Boulevard Saint-Michel and Rue des Écoles, while the Marais shows its medieval grain along Rue du Temple. Northward, Belleville’s ascent is traced via Rue de Belleville, and the Batignolles–Clichy fringe gathers along Avenue de Clichy. This is a city map that doesn’t merely list streets; it stages an urban drama in which Haussmann’s boulevards, old faubourgs, and rising suburbs all claim their lines.

Green washes articulate a second, quieter infrastructure—parks and promenades that thread the metropolis. From the expansive lungs of the Bois de Boulogne to the Bois de Vincennes, Paris balances spectacle with respite; within the walls, the Jardin du Luxembourg nestles off Boulevard Saint-Michel, the Tuileries gardens soften Rue de Rivoli, and the Champ de Mars stretches from the École Militaire to the Seine. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont crowns the northeast above Belleville, while riverside quais—rendered in serene blue—bind the city’s halves and islands into a single, fluid composition. In combining this pastoral network with rigorous transit mapping and a discriminating key, Letts demonstrates the firm’s English clarity applied to Parisian elegance—producing a city plan as instructive as it is irresistible.

Streets and roads on this map

• Avenue de la République
• Avenue des Champs-Élysées
• Boulevard Haussmann
• Boulevard Montmartre
• Boulevard Saint-Michel
• Boulevard de l'Opéra
• Rue de Rivoli
• Rue de la Paix
• Rue Saint-Dominique
• Rue Saint-Lazare
• Rue de la Pépinière
• Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine
• Rue Lafayette
• Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin
• Rue de l'Université
• Avenue Victor Hugo
• Rue du Bac
• Rue de Sèvres
• Boulevard Saint-Germain
• Rue de la Tour Maubourg
• Rue de la République
• Rue de Marseille
• Avenue de Clichy
• Avenue de Wagram
• Rue de Charonne
• Rue de Turbigo
• Rue de Belleville
• Rue de l’École de Médecine
• Rue des Écoles
• Rue du Temple
• Rue du Commerce

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Parks and green spaces
• Public buildings
• The Seine River
• Omnibus routes
• Urban neighborhoods

Historical and design context

• Date created: 1892
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Thomas Letts, Letts Son & Co Limited, London
• Scale: 4 inches to the mile.
• Design style: Utilizes color coding for routes and features; classic cartographic features include a detailed key and an ornate border.
• Historical significance: Represents the urban layout and public transportation system of Paris in the late 19th century, during a time of rapid growth and modernization in the city.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 20in (50cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

Alcune delle mie vecchie mappe sono ora disponibili come tele incorniciate. Per favore contattami se desideri ordinare una dimensione che non è disponibile nel mio negozio.

Le vecchie mappe su tela sono un'alternativa interessante alle mappe incorniciate in modo convenzionale. A seconda del tuo gusto personale e dell'arredamento della stanza, le mappe su tela possono "risaltare" un po' di più rispetto a una mappa incorniciata.

Scopri di più sulle mie mappe su tela incorniciate.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.