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Profile: The Mapmaker of Lisbon Street
C1 👤 Profile · 479 words · about 3 min
A profile of Irina Petrova, who draws detailed hand-made maps of cities and the small stories hidden in them.
On a quiet street in the old part of town, a small shop window displays what looks at first like a collection of paintings. Look closer, and you will see that each one is a map. Streets curl across the paper in delicate ink, tiny trams run along the main roads, and in the margins there are drawings of bakers, cats and balconies. These are the work of Irina Petrova, who has been making hand-drawn city maps for nearly twenty years.
On a quiet street in the old part of town, a small shop window displays what looks at first like a collection of paintings. Look closer, and you will see that each one is a map. Streets curl across the paper in delicate ink, tiny trams run along the main roads, and in the margins there are drawings of bakers, cats and balconies. These are the work of Irina Petrova, who has been making hand-drawn city maps for nearly twenty years.
Irina did not plan on a career in cartography. She trained as an architect and spent her twenties designing offices she rarely enjoyed visiting. "I was good at the technical side," she recalls, "but I felt the buildings had no personality." Everything changed during a holiday when she lost her way in an unfamiliar city and began sketching what she saw to avoid getting lost again. By the end of the week she had filled an entire notebook with streets, shop signs and overheard remarks.
Irina did not plan on a career in cartography. She trained as an architect and spent her twenties designing offices she rarely enjoyed visiting. "I was good at the technical side," she recalls, "but I felt the buildings had no personality." Everything changed during a holiday when she lost her way in an unfamiliar city and began sketching what she saw to avoid getting lost again. By the end of the week she had filled an entire notebook with streets, shop signs and overheard remarks.
Her method is slow. For each map, she walks the city for several weeks, usually at the same hour each day, because light and crowds change the character of a place. She talks to people along the way: shopkeepers, bus drivers, retired teachers. Their stories often find their way onto the paper. On her map of Porto, for example, a small square near the river is marked with the words "best place to eat chestnuts, according to Mrs Alves".
Her method is slow. For each map, she walks the city for several weeks, usually at the same hour each day, because light and crowds change the character of a place. She talks to people along the way: shopkeepers, bus drivers, retired teachers. Their stories often find their way onto the paper. On her map of Porto, for example, a small square near the river is marked with the words "best place to eat chestnuts, according to Mrs Alves".
Then comes the drawing, which can take up to two months. Irina works with a fine pen and a steady hand, and she refuses to use digital tools for the main drawing. "A computer makes everything too tidy," she says. "A city is not tidy. The mistakes and the wobbly lines are part of the truth." Only at the end does she scan the drawing and prepare it for printing, adding soft colours that she mixes herself.
Then comes the drawing, which can take up to two months. Irina works with a fine pen and a steady hand, and she refuses to use digital tools for the main drawing. "A computer makes everything too tidy," she says. "A city is not tidy. The mistakes and the wobbly lines are part of the truth." Only at the end does she scan the drawing and prepare it for printing, adding soft colours that she mixes herself.
Her maps have found an unexpected audience. Tourists buy them as souvenirs, but residents are often the most enthusiastic customers. Many say that the maps make them look at their own neighbourhood differently. One man told her he had lived for thirty years above the baker she had drawn and had never once noticed the carved door beside it.
Her maps have found an unexpected audience. Tourists buy them as souvenirs, but residents are often the most enthusiastic customers. Many say that the maps make them look at their own neighbourhood differently. One man told her he had lived for thirty years above the baker she had drawn and had never once noticed the carved door beside it.
Business is steady rather than spectacular, and Irina says she is happy with that. She also teaches a weekly workshop in which beginners learn to map their own streets. "People always say they cannot draw," she says, smiling. "I tell them it does not matter. The point is to pay attention."
Business is steady rather than spectacular, and Irina says she is happy with that. She also teaches a weekly workshop in which beginners learn to map their own streets. "People always say they cannot draw," she says, smiling. "I tell them it does not matter. The point is to pay attention."
Next year she hopes to map a city she has never visited, chosen by the readers of her newsletter. She has no idea which one it will be. "That is the best part," she says. "A blank sheet and a new place. What more could anyone want?"
Next year she hopes to map a city she has never visited, chosen by the readers of her newsletter. She has no idea which one it will be. "That is the best part," she says. "A blank sheet and a new place. What more could anyone want?"