No other painter from 17th-century Holland expressed a greater interest in cartography than **Jan Vermeer**. His detailed depictions of maps and globes coincide with the great age of exploration and mapmaking. This lecture by the leading authority on Vermeer’s use of cartographic material demonstrates that all of the maps and globes in Vermeer’s paintings can be identified, though few originals still exist. These cartographic objects and the ways in which Vermeer used them not only add further meaning to his allegorical subjects and scenes of everyday life; they also shed light on Vermeer’s working method, including his possible use of the camera obscura. _Presented by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library in partnership with the Boston Map Society_ About the [**NORMAN B. LEVENTHAL MAP CENTER**](http://www.leventhalmap.org/ "Leventhal Map Center") The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center is ranked among the top map centers in the United States for the size of its collection, the significance of its historic (pre-1900) material, and its advanced digitization program. About [**The Boston Map Society**](https://bostonmapsociety.org/ "") The Boston Map Society was founded in 1994 to bring together people with an enthusiasm for studying, using, collecting, and preserving maps. Though most members live in the New England area, membership in the Society is open anyone, anywhere, with an interest in cartography.