(312) 555-0147 [email protected]

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 1, 2026

Earliest Chicago Maps ("we," "our," or "us") operates the website located at www.earliestchicagomaps.com and our physical gallery and print shop at 714 South Dearborn Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60605. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, use our online tools, place orders, or interact with our services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data responsibly. Please read this policy carefully and contact us if you have any questions.

Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us, information collected automatically through your use of our website, and information from third-party sources. The types of personal information we may collect include:

Information You Provide Directly

When you interact with our services, you may voluntarily provide us with personal information, including but not limited to:

  • Contact Information: Your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you submit a contact form, request a free consultation, or book a gallery visit.
  • Order Information: Billing and shipping addresses, payment card details (processed securely through our third-party payment processor), and order specifications when you purchase reproduction prints or custom framing services.
  • Authentication and Appraisal Requests: Descriptions and photographs of maps you submit for our authentication and appraisal services, along with any provenance documentation you share with our cartographic specialists.
  • Research Service Requests: Details about your research needs, including topics of interest, geographic areas, time periods, and the purpose of your research when you engage our historical research consultation services.
  • Newsletter Signup: Your email address and name when you subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates about new reproductions, gallery exhibitions, blog articles, and special offers.
  • Gallery Visit Bookings: Your name, contact information, group size, and preferred dates when you schedule a guided gallery tour or educational visit to our Printer's Row location.
  • Tool Usage: Information you enter into our online tools, such as the Map Value Estimator, Print Size Calculator, and Chicago Timeline Explorer, including map descriptions, dimensions, and condition details.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies:

  • Device Information: Your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preferences.
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on each page, links clicked, referring URLs, and navigation paths through our website.
  • Location Data: Approximate geographic location derived from your IP address.
  • Cookie Data: Information stored in cookies placed on your device, as further described in our Cookie Policy.

How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Fulfilling Orders: Processing and shipping reproduction print orders, coordinating custom framing projects, and delivering authentication and appraisal reports.
  • Providing Services: Responding to research service requests, scheduling gallery visits and educational tours, and delivering consultation services related to historical cartography.
  • Communication: Sending order confirmations, shipping notifications, appointment reminders, and responding to your inquiries submitted through our contact form or by email.
  • Marketing: Sending newsletters, promotional offers, exhibition announcements, and new product notifications to subscribers who have opted in to receive such communications.
  • Website Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve our website design, content, navigation, and online tools such as the Map Value Estimator and Print Size Calculator.
  • Analytics: Understanding visitor behavior, traffic sources, and demographic trends to optimize our marketing efforts and content strategy.
  • Legal Compliance: Meeting legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our terms of service.

Information Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We share information with trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our website, processing payments, shipping orders, and delivering email communications. These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the services they perform on our behalf.
  • Analytics Partners: We share anonymized and aggregated usage data with Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors interact with our website.
  • Advertising Partners: Google AdSense may collect information through cookies and similar technologies to display relevant advertisements on our website, as described in our Cookie Policy.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information when required by law, in response to a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Earliest Chicago Maps, our customers, or the public.
  • Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encrypted data transmission using SSL/TLS protocols, secure payment processing through PCI-compliant third-party processors, restricted access to personal data on a need-to-know basis among our staff, and regular security assessments of our website infrastructure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights

Depending on your state of residence, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
  • Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
  • Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or by contacting us directly.
  • Data Portability: Where applicable, you may request a portable copy of your personal information in a commonly used format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected] or call us at (312) 555-0147. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

Analytics and Tracking

We use Google Analytics to collect and analyze information about how visitors use our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to gather data such as the number of visitors, the pages they visit, the time spent on each page, and the source of traffic. This information is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not personally identify individual visitors. Google Analytics may also collect demographic and interest data to help us better understand our audience. You can learn more about how Google uses data by visiting Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

We also use Google AdSense to display advertisements on certain pages of our website. Google AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites on the internet. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your browsing history. You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.

Email Communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter or provide your email address when placing an order or requesting a service, we may send you periodic emails regarding new reproduction prints, upcoming gallery exhibitions, blog articles about Chicago cartographic history, and special promotions. Every marketing email we send includes an unsubscribe link at the bottom. If you click that link, we will remove your email address from our marketing list within 10 business days. Please note that even after unsubscribing from marketing emails, you may still receive transactional emails related to your orders, authentication reports, or service appointments.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:

  • Order and transaction records are retained for seven years to comply with tax and accounting regulations.
  • Authentication and appraisal records are retained indefinitely to support ongoing provenance documentation and insurance claims for our clients.
  • Contact form submissions and consultation requests are retained for two years from the date of submission.
  • Newsletter subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
  • Website analytics data is retained in aggregated form for up to 26 months through Google Analytics.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) provide you with specific rights regarding your personal information. These rights include the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; the right to request deletion of your personal information; the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information; and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. Earliest Chicago Maps does not sell your personal information as defined under the CCPA/CPRA. To submit a request under these laws, please contact us at [email protected] or call us at (312) 555-0147. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

European Economic Area and GDPR Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and related data protection laws. These rights include the right to access your personal data and receive a copy in a portable format, the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data, the right to erasure of your personal data (the "right to be forgotten") under certain circumstances, the right to restrict the processing of your data, the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, and the right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on your consent. Where we rely on consent as the legal basis for processing your personal data (for example, for marketing communications or non-essential cookies), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing conducted prior to withdrawal. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days. If you believe that our processing of your personal data violates applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country of residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on this page and revise the "Last Updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our website and services after the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Earliest Chicago Maps
714 South Dearborn Street, Suite 200
Chicago, IL 60605

Phone: (312) 555-0147
Email: [email protected]