This large finely
engraved beautifully hand coloured original antique map
of the United States, the Mississippi River, North
America, was published by J.B Homann in 1720
This
iconic
map of the Mississippi River Valley by Johann Baptiste
Homan is commonly called the 'Buffalo Map' for its
distinctive decorative elements depicting a stylized
buffalo. This map is derived from an earlier 1718 map of
the same region by G. De L'Isle though it has been
enlarged to include New England.
The map covers much of the modern day United States from
Canada and the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys and from
Mexico and Texas to the Pacific. According to the
political conventions of the time this map is segmented
into various zones including New Mexico (red) along the
Rio de Norte (Rio Grande), Louisiana (blue) covering a
vast area including Texas, all five of the Great Lakes,
and both the upper and lower Mississippi River Valleys,
Florida (green) consisting most of the American
southeast, the english Colonies (yellow) along the
Atlantic seaboard, and Canada (red) stretching across
the top of the map north of the Great Lakes. Various
explorers' routes (including de Soto) are noted, as are
mission settlements, American Indian villages,
fortifications, and portages. Florida is depicted as an
archipelago inhabited by anthropophagi (cannibals). The
cartouche work, in the upper left quadrant, details
Niagara Falls as well as various allegorical
illustrations. A secondary cartouche, showing American
Indians and a stylized buffalo appears in the lower
right.
This map enjoyed a long production run and was extremely
popular throughout europe – most likely for its
decorative inclusion of the American Buffalo and Niagara
Falls, objects of fascination for many 18th century
europeans. Though this map was issued in only one
edition, it was published in Homann's Neuer Atlas,
the Atlas Major, and many other composite atlases well
into the late 1700s, making specific instances of the
map all but possible to date with precision. Most
examples thus reference the original publication date,
c. 1720.
(Ref: Tooley; M&B)
General
Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original & later
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: -
24in x 20
1/2in
(610mm x 530mm)
Plate size: - 23in x 19
1/2in
(590mm x 500mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)
Imperfections:
Margins: - Light soiling
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None
If you wish to discuss this or any other item
please email or call - good luck, Simon.
Classical Images
61 (0) 409 551910 Tel
simon@classicalimages.com
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