Old Map of Bedfordshire in 1611 by John Speed - Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, St Neots, Kempston, Leighton Buzzard vintage ant illustration cultural encounters

cultural encounters

preserving the sense of wonder felt by cartographers who stitched unknown territories into global awareness

and astronomy

This highly detailed scorpion illustration by Jean Gabriel Prêtre showcases the precision of 19th-century natural history artwork

Old Map of Bedfordshire in 1611 by John Speed - Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, St Neots, Kempston, Leighton Buzzard vintage ant illustration cultural encountersThis map of Bedfordshire was created by John Speed and engraved by Jodocus Hondius, originally published in 1611 as part of Speed's landmark county atlas, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. Speed's atlas was one of the first comprehensive attempts to map every county of England and Wales in a single, consistent series, and it remains one of the most significant works in the history of British cartography. This particular print is presented