Once a piece of paper is folded (creased), it will never be the same... folding breaks the paper fibers and once broken nothing will mend them. Ironing will, of course, help flatten the creases. But you'll always see them. That's why large pictures (posters, etc.) are always shipped rolled in a large tube or sent flat between stiff cardboards. Just frame your map and enjoy it, knowing most maps are folded!

Pammyfay, thank you so much for your opinion and making me feel better about my choices since I have never chosen matting and frames before. I love the Sovia frame and I am glad I went with my instinct. It is so pretty in person with the black grooves on the sides adding some style to the frame without it being too busy for the print. When I opened the package, I was so in love with the picture the way it was. But tonight seeing it lean on the wall and I guess the linen off-white mat picked up the creamier wall color (BM Bone white I have on the walls which is a few shades darker than the picture's linen off-white frame and the lighting is fluorescent modern lamps with no natural light at night. But standing in front of the picture has me in awe of the beauty of the print and the texture of the linen mat and the texture of the suede inner mat. I love the design I chose but I guess I pictured the mat looking less creamy. So glad you also love the black grooved frame and you could tell by the picture I posted. :) Thanks for letting me know you have a similar frame that sounds beautiful.

I showed DH the map from the RH web site and he said something along the lines of "Yes, yes, order it immediately!" Well, first of all, I think the price is steep, and secondly, it wouldn't fit in our room. I ended up buying a map of Paris (we love Paris) on ebay this morning for $34, thinking for that price I could use it anywhere. But the map from ebay is black & white, and I think I'd prefer something with some color in the LR. I like the retro colors of this US map (link below), but not sure if this may make the LR look like a classroom! We travel quite a bit, and we happen to have a small collection of old globes on our TV stand, so for me, I feel it is entirely appropriate to have a map in my LR. (p.s. Our LR is really more like a FR.) I think anything hung on the wall, whether it's a painting or a map, is a highly personal decision. So I guess what I'm saying is not "should I?" but rather "can you help me find a good one?" LOL...hope that makes sense. Here is a link that might be useful: Map

Quite a lot of whale prints on Etsy and ebay, if you don't want to look in your local shops (do you?). Just do a search online for "vintage whale print". You will need to take care of the framing yourself for most of them. A lot of the beauty of the print in your OP is the lovely frame and matting.