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Other map pages: [ Locations | Map themes & related | Cartographers ]
Herman Moll. "A Map of Mexico or New Spain Florida now called Louisiana and Part of California &c." From Atlas Geographus: or; A Compleat System of Geography, (Ancient and Modern) For America. London: John Nicholson, 1717. 7 x 10. Very good condition. Framed.
The map is by Herman Moll, who was a Dutch emigré to England after 1680. Moll soon established his own business and became England's most prominent map publisher, his prolific output covered a wide range from loose maps to atlases. His work was highly regarded and often copied due to the quality of detail found in his maps. This map shows North America from just north of the 35th parallel and extends south to encompass all of Central America. Moll includes much detail of settlements and Indian tribes. This area was mostly controlled by the Spanish or French, though a large "Carolina" is shown with "Charles Towne" indicated. $625
John Senex. "A New Map of the English Empire in America..." London: J. Senex, 1721. 19 3/4 x 23 3/8. Engraving by J. Harris. Original outline color. A few age spots. Strong strike. Overall, very good condition.
A wonderful map of the English colonies in North America covering from the east coast to the Mississippi. Issued in Senex's 1721 Atlas, this was a "revised" version of the famous Morden-Browne map of about 1695, printed by Senex with a few modifications, including a new dedication. The map depicts as comprehensive a look at the British colonies as was available in the early 18th century. The borders of the different grants, rivers, and many early towns are indicated from Nova Scotia to Carolina, which is shown extending down to the Florida peninsula. No western border is indicated, though the "Apalitean mountains" form a natural border.
While the colonies are well mapped, the map contains much curious and unusual geography for the middle of the continent. It contains a most unusual configuration for the Great Lakes; Lake Erie narrows to a fraction of its full width in the middle, and Georgian Bay forms a long, spike-like heel off Lake Huron. The Mississippi River is relatively accurately drawn running up the middle of the continent, but there is no Ohio River extending into Pennsylvania from the west. This is because the river that is probably meant to represent the Ohio is blocked by a curious mountain range that runs from the tip of the Michigan peninsula down all the way to Florida, with one branch mid-way down running westward towards the Mississippi, and the "Apalitean" range running off to the northeast. This mountain range was originally introduced by Morden-Brown. It is clearly an outgrowth of the Appalachian Range, but incorrectly drawn so that the mountains extend down into Florida, west to the Mississippi and north into the Michigan peninsula. The western branch may be a remnant of the range of mountains across the continent that appeared on the Chiaves map based on reports from the de Soto expedition. The branch into Michigan is further of interest because of the legend along side that says "On the top of these mountains is a Plaine like a Terras Walk aboue 200 miles in length." This range and its terrace walk have no known source, but it had great influence. The connection of the Michigan chain with the Appalachian range was soon severed, but vestiges of the mountains in the peninsula appeared on maps even into the nineteenth century. In the bottom right corner is an inset map showing the American continent in relation to Europe and Africa, and just above is a smaller inset plan of Boston Harbor. $3,200
Johann Baptist Homann. "Nova Anglia Septentrionali Americae implantata Anglorumque coloniis florentissima." Nuremberg: J.C. Homann, ca. 1730. Second state. 19 1/4 x 22 7/8. Engraving. Full original hand color. Very good condition. Ref.: McCorkle, 724.1. Speculates that this map appeared as early as 1716. Some paper wrinkles along center fold. Full margins.
While the French and then the English generally dominated the cartographic world in the eighteenth century, the Homann firm from Nuremberg, Germany was producing many influential maps and atlases. The firm was founded about 1702 by Johann Baptist Homann, who was appointed Geographer to the Emperor in 1715. In 1724, upon J.B. Homann's death, the company passed on to his son, Johann Christoph Homann and then to his heirs, who traded under the name of Homann Heirs. This map shows New England, extending from present-day Maine to Philadelphia, is one of the best examples of the Homann output. This is a second state of the map, issued about 1730, with "Sac. Caes. Majest Geographo," added below the title.
The maps by the Homann firm are noted for their striking appearance and this colored map is no exception. Of note is the wonderful baroque title cartouche which embodies European impressions of the New World. A Native American, European trader, native fauna, and various American trading goods are all depicted in this impressive engraving. The map gives much interesting detail on the region, including rivers, lakes, towns, Indian settlements, and an indication of the political divisions such as "New Jork," "Nova Anglia," and west and east New Jersey. Though this information is confidently depicted in a bold manner, much of it is inaccurate. For instance, Lake Champlain is shown directly north of the Connecticut River and a large non-existent lake, "Zuyd Lac," is depicted on the Delaware River north of Philadelphia. The grid plan for this city is crudely indicated, as is the Schuylkill River and Wissahickon Creek. Also of interest is the type of Cape Cod, which is shown as an island. Overall, a wonderful document of the early eighteenth century. $2,300
Guillaume Delisle. "Carte Du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France." Amsterdam: Jean Covens & Corneille Mortier, ca. 1730. 19 1/8 x 22 1/2. Engraving. Hand color. Some paper toning and mottling. Otherwise, very good condition.
An attractively colored example of Delisle's famous map of the Great Lakes and Canada. The map was first issued in 1703, and this example was issued not too long after in Amsterdam. This map is a important example of Delisle's work, seminal in the history of the mapping of America exactly because of his pioneering method and attitude. It was based on years of research, using all the latest reports of travels, explorations and surveys in the region. Delisle was particularly well placed with respect to gathering information on North America, for with his connections in the French court, especially within the Ministry of Marine, he had access to all the official and unofficial reports coming out of New France. It is not surprising, then, given Delisle's method and connections, that this map is so important in the cartographic history of the continent. The depiction of the Great Lakes is a landmark in the history of their mapping, superior to the previous renderings by Sanson and Coronelli. This map is a "mother map" of both Canada and the Great Lakes. Such was its importance that it continued to be published for the rest of the century. The wonderful baroque title cartouche adds a final flourish to the map, showing natives, flora and fauna, and explorers of the New World. $1,200
Georg Matthew Seutter. "Accurata delineatio celeberrimae Regionis Ludovicianae vel Gallicae Louisiane ol. Canadae et Floridae adpellatione in Septentrionali America descriptae..." Augsburg, [1730-50].19 1/2 x 22 1/2 (neatlines) plus platemarks and margins. Engraving. Full original hand color. Slight repair at base of centerfold. Very good condition.
The model for this fascinating map of North America was published by Guillaume Delisle at Paris in 1718. Delisle's map had vital significance for the mapping of America because for the first time on a map one could see the upper waters of the Mississippi basin, now designated as the Missouri and the Ohio. Although inaccurate by today's standards, the map does show rivers flowing in a relatively correct direction, reflecting its derivation from oral reports rather than scientific surveys. In the 1720s, this map by Seutter and one by John Senex in England were both derived from Delisle's map of a few years before, drawing attention to Delisle's breakthrough in the mapping of the upper Mississippi. The Seutter map also put its focus on the notorious scandal called 'The Mississippi Bubble.'
In 1718, the Scotsman, John Law, organized in Paris a speculative company, called The Mississippi Company, on lines similar to the London South Sea Company. This new company was based on discoveries of lead ore in present-day Missouri and Michigan. A carryover from the old alchemist beliefs told explorers that if lead was present, gold could not be far away. The prospect of great riches soon caused a surge in the value of the stock, but this was short lived, for the investors had no idea how difficult it would be to extract and ship ore from that wilderness. The practical impossibility of that project, graphically illustrated in this map, quickly caused the bubble to burst. The results were not all negative, for some fortunes were made in the buying and selling of the stock, and the episode stimulated interest and settlements in the regions.
Law's scheme and its consequences, which William Langer has said forms an introduction to modern speculative finance, are graphically illustrated in the fine title cartouche. The goddess Fame is shown blowing a trumpet and surmounts a statue of Plenty pouring jewels and coins from a cornucopia, a common symbol for the Mississippi. Below her and surrounding the pedestal are speculators either receiving stock certificates or rending their hair and committing suicide in despair. The goddess Commerce is handing out certificates, while at the base of the pedestal Italianate putti are whimsically cutting stock certificates after dumping a wax seal printer onto the ground. For its wonderful cartouche, history, and importance, this is a superb and beautiful map of North America. $3,800
Emanuel Bowen after Henry Popple. "A New & Accurate Map of the Provinces of North & South Carolina Georgia &c. Drawn from late Surveys and regulated by Astron Observat. By Eman. Bowen." From A Complete System of Geography. London: E. Bowen, 1747. Engraving. 13 5/8 x 16 3/4. Very good condition.
Emanuel Bowen was a map engraver, printer and publisher in London in the mid-eighteenth century. He achieved considerable success in this field, being appointed as engraver to both Louis XV of France and George II of Britain, and later as Geographer to the latter. He produced some of the most interesting maps of his time. Despite his royal appointments and apparent success, Bowen died in poverty in 1767. Through all the vicissitudes of his life, however, Emanuel Bowen's maps continued at a very high level of quality, as is exampled in this nicely detailed map of the "Provinces" of North and South Carolina and Georgia. This map is a reduced version of the southeastern sheet from Henry Popple's important map of North America (1733). It extends from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to St. Augustine, and stopping just short of Mobile Bay in the west. The detail is most impressive, with rivers, European and Native American settlements, and an indication of the Appalachian Mountains. In what would become Tennessee is a note of the "Charokee Indians." A rare and interesting map of the southeastern part of the British colonies from just before the French & Indian War. $1,350
Emanuel Bowen. "A New Map of Georgia with Part of Carolina, Florida and Louisiana." From John Harris' Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels. London, 1748. 14 1/4 x 18 3/4. Engraving. Very good condition. Cummings: 267.
This map is the first map to focus just on the colony of Georgia, extending from the Atlantic seaboard to the Mississippi River (actually Bowen has the "G" of "Georgia" on the west side of the Mississippi, implying that the colony extended even further). This map was included in John Harris' Voyages which was first issued in 1705. In the 1744-48 edition of this multi-volume work, Harris added a chapter on the history of Georgia and this map was included as part of that chapter. The map is wonderfully work, with copious accurate information. Towns and forts along the Carolina, Georgia, and Florida Atlantic coasts are shown, as are the few settlements in Mobile Bay and along the Mississippi River. The interior of the colony is mostly taken up with Indian tribes and towns, and the very early trading routes are indicated. This is a seminal map of the American southeast, both attractive and fascinating. $5,250
Gilles Robert de Vaugondy. "Partie De L'Amerique Septentrionale, qui comprend Le Cours De L'Ohio, La N'lle Angleterre, La N'lle York, Le New Jersey, La Pensylvanie, Le Maryland La Virginie, La Caroline." Paris: G. Robert de Vaugondy, 1755. 18 3/4 x 24 1/2. Engraving by C. Haussard. Original outline color in map and later color added to cartouche. Very good condition. Pedley: 469, State 1.
An attractive example of Gilles Robert de Vaugondy's map of the British colonies, which was based upon John Mitchell's great map of North America from the same year. As such, it took information from Lewis Evans on the middle British Colonies and Joshua Fry's and Peter Jefferson's map of Virginia and Maryland. The Mitchell map resulted from many years of British surveying in the colonies of North America, and it represented the best information about the continent that was available to Europeans and Americans in the mid-eighteenth century. Robert de Vaugondy's map does not cover the entire area shown in Mitchell's map, but rather focuses on the British colonies, extending from southern Maine to the Carolinas, with an inset of South Carolina and Georgia added in the upper left corner. Dense detail is neatly engraved for the river systems and settlements along the eastern coast and well inland. The mapping of the trans-Allegheny regions â€Å"showing the Ohio River, Kentucky, Tennessee, and parts of Ohio" and of the inland areas to the southeast of the Great Lakes and in interior New England is of particular interest, for this shows some of the earliest accurate information of these regions. The dotted lines and outline color designate pre-Treaty of Paris (1763) information about the Ohio country. A rococo title cartouche in the lower right adds a fine decorative touch to this historic document. $1,850
Tobias Conrad Lotter. "Pensylvania Nova Jersey et Nova York Cum Regionibus Ad Fluvium Delaware In America Sitis, Nova Delineatione ob oculos posita per Tob. Conr. Lotter Geographum Aug. Vind." Augsburg: T.C. Lotter, 1756-1774. 22 x 20. Engraving. Light hand color. Strong impression. Although conserved it has light scattered stains, especially at bottom right corner. Else, good condition. Full margins.
A wonderful yet misunderstood map of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southeastern New York, based upon Lewis Evans' map of 1749, one of the first and most important maps on the region. Evans mapping was the first really accurate and descriptive map of the mid-Atlantic regions to include good interior information. While this map has an almost humorous appearance, lending it a great visual appeal, it very closely copies Evans’ information. The regions not mapped by Evans are inaccurate on Lotter's map, but the central part of the map directly reflects Evans' data, making this one of the most accurate portrayals of that area to the time. This German version, initially issued by Lotter's father-in-law, Matthew Seutter, shortly after the publication of Evans' map, would have had a great impact on the European conception of these British colonies, for Seutter and Lotter enjoyed a wider circulation than Evans. This map, then, illustrates the view many Europeans had of this important region at the beginning of the American Revolution.
Along with its cartographic importance, the map has a wonderful visual appeal. The elaborate rococo title cartouche in the upper left presents an idyllic picture of the New World, illustrating American flora and fauna and showing peaceful natives showing-off the fecundity of their world to a prosperous looking European. One of the most salient visual aspects of the map is its crude depiction of rivers and mountains. Adding to the appeal of the map is its obviously distorted picture of New England, squeezed into the available space so that the entire region, including Cape Cod, fit into an area narrower than New Jersey. This distortion is to achieve relative direction. Overall, this is a decorative and historic, though misunderstood, document worthy of any collection. Ref.: J.W. Docktor, "Seutter/Lotter Map of Pensylvania Nova Jersey et Nova York," The Portolan (Winter, 1993): 12-19. $2,200
Jacques Nicolas Bellin. "Carte de la Louisiane, et Pays Voisins." From Prevost d'Exiles' Histoire Generale des Voiages. Paris: Chez Didot, 1761. Engraving. 8 5/8 x 11 7/8. Very good condition
From about 1650 to the middle of the eighteenth century, the French dominated the cartographic world, with their fine, scientifically based maps. These maps were particularly outstanding and significant for the northern interior of North America. This vast, forested region was explored throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by French trappers, traders and missionaries. The information from their explorations was relayed back to Paris, where it was used by the great French cartographers to compile the finest maps of the region produced to that time.
Nicolas Bellin (1703-72), Hydrographer to the King of France, was one of the best French cartographers of the later period. His maps of North America were detailed and generally contained the latest information available. This map is somewhat anachronistic, for about the same time the British were beginning to come out with maps based on their surveys of the interior of the continent, but this map does present the French understanding of their American possessions just before they lost vast territories to the British in the French & Indian War, during which it was issued. It can be seen as a cartographic statement of French claims to the vast middle of the continent, extending from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Appalachians to the Rocky Mountains. Bellin notes all major river systems, especially the Mississippi system upon which their claims rested, and many of the French forts, including Detroit, Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh), Fort de la Presque Isle (Erie), Sandoske, and Fort "Checagou." This is a wonderful document from the period. $675
Maps by Jacques Nicolas Bellin. From Le Petit Atlas Maritime. Paris, 1764. Engravings. Original hand color. Full margins. Excellent condition.
From about 1650 to 1750, the French dominated the cartographic world, with their fine, scientifically based maps. Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703-72), Hydrographer to the King of France, was one of the best French cartographers of the later period. His specialty were marine and coastal maps and his famous Petit Atlas Maritime contained small but detailed charts of coasts and coastal cities around the world, including a series of fascinating American maps.
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