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This map was downloaded from the Library of Congress's map collection exhibit. It's a 300 dpi scan of a map approximately 3 feet square. The map's origins are a bit mysterious, but it is believed to be a political map detailing Spain's conquests in the New World. More details are available here. The image is viewable at the Library of Congress website, however only in small pieces using a special image server which can quickly deliver any part of the image at any resolution. A special plug-in is available which allows a user to view parts of the image losslessly, filling the entire browser window. By stretching my browser window across all three monitors I was able to pan across the entire image at 100% magnification, saving screen captures at regular intervals, and stitching together the full image in Photoshop. The resulting image is 10,492×11,908 pixels, or just shy of 125 megapixels. The detail is incredible, and the scan is very sharp. Every single pen stroke can be seen perfectly. Most of the decorative elements of the map fill the entire screen, or more. Here are some points of interest on the map, scaled to various resolutions. |