• Title : Carte de La Louisiane Par le Sr D Anville Dressee Mai 1732. Publiee en 1752
• Ref #:  17025
• Size: 26in x 23in (710mm x 580mm)
• Date : 1752
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition

Description:

This large original copper-plate engraved antique left sheet of the map of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast was first engraved in 1732 with updates to 1752 by Guillaume Nicolas Delahaye (1727 - 1802) - the dates are engraved in the title - and was published by Jean-Baptiste Bourguinon D Anville's in his large elephant folio atlas Atlas Generale.
NB - I have included an image of the map joined.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 26in x 23in (710mm x 580mm)
Plate size: - 24 3/4in x 20 3/4in (630mm x 530mm)
Margins: - Min 1/8in (3mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Light age toning and creasing in margins
Plate area: - Light age toning
Verso: - Small archival tape strips on verso

Background:
An uncommon, historically important and influential map of US South coast, stretching from the Gulf of Mobile to the mouth of the Sabine in Texas, centering on New Orleans and the surrounding area. It is one of the earliest and most detailed large format maps of the region, depicting early French settlements of the Gulf Coast region.
The map tracks the Mississippi, Arkansas, Red, Osage and Missouri Rivers.
It is known that Thomas Jefferson acquired 7 of D Anvilles maps in 1787, almost certainly, this was one of them. Jefferson commented to Gallatin about the importance of this map. Meriwether Lewis obtained a copy prior to the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
It is also know that most of the information for this map is derived from Valentin Devin, who arrived in Pensacola in 1719 and began producing highly detailed maps immediately upon his arrival on the Gulf Coast, until expelled by the Spanish after a three year struggle. Devin used his information and materials gathered from Le Maire and others to produce a number of manuscript maps which were sent back to France and resulted in a series of marvellous maps by De L'Isle, Buache and finally D'Anville, whose maps of the Gulf Coast formed the standard for a number of years.
To illustrate the cartography of the middle to latter part of the eighteenth century - especially detail of America & the Southern Hemisphere - a D' Anville map is essential. He dominated not only the French but all contemporary geographers, regardless of nationality.
He was foremost in using the latest and most accurate cartographic information from the latest discoveries of French explorers of the day but also from Cook and others. And unlike many cartographers of the day he was not adverse to leave blank spaces in his maps where knowledge was insufficient.

Please note all items auctioned are genuine, we do not sell reproductions. A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) can be issued on request.