Design
A Brilliantly Restored 19th Century Visualization of U.S. City Population Shifts
A map and data enthusiast found this colorful chart that tracks where the United States grew and shrunk between 1790 and 1890.
If reading up on 19th century U.S. city population rankings sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon, have we found the charts for you.
Originally published in the Statistical Atlas of the United States in 1898, Larry Gormley of HistoryShots (a company that designs and restores data visualizations) first came across this old census visualization over at David Rumsey's online map database. Compelled by its restrained use of shapes, colors, and lines, Gormley, who scours map and book fairs in his native New England, eventually tracked down a printed copy to restore.