- Home
- Books, Manuscripts and Maps
- Maps
- A Newly Discovered First State of a Foundation Map,' L'Amerique Septentrionale'
A Newly Discovered First State of a Foundation Map,' L'Amerique Septentrionale'
- By The Map Collector
- Published 1 March 1984
- Maps
- Unrated
The Map Collector
The Map Collector, initiated by Peter Scott and Valerie G. Newby, was a journal on historical cartography published every quarter. The first issue appeared in 1997 and continued for nearly 20 years. After 74 issues the last copy appeared in Spring 1996. Mrs. Valerie G. Newby, is presently editor of the IMCoS Journal.
www.imcos.org
by Seymour I. Schwartz and Henry Taliaferro
This article chronicles an exciting cartographic find — a map that has escaped notice for almost three centuries. Recently, an American dealer in rare maps uncovered this document in a private collection in Austria. Its emergence has dramatically changed the designation of priority regarding a foundation map in the cartography of North America. This map is now in the collection of one of the authors, Seymour I. Schwartz, a Professor of Surgery at Rochester, New York.
THE NEWLY DISCOVERED first state of `LAmerique Septentrionale' was extracted from a made-up atlas that bore no title and no table of contents. Most of the maps bound together were late seventeenth and early eighteenth century Dutch productions, including the Covens and Mortier issues of Delisle's maps. In addition, the atlas contained the first state of each of the five great Delisle maps of America — `LAmerique Septentrionale,' 1700, TAmerique Meridionale,' 1700, 'Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France . .,' 1703, 'Carte du Mexique et de la Floride . . .,' 1703, and 'Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississipi,' 1718.
TAmerique Septentrionale ... Par G. DeLIsle Geograph y . A Paris Chez l'Autheur Rue de Canettes . 1700; has been designated 'a foundation map." It is the first map to revert to a peninsular form for California, and the first printed map to show the Saragossa Sea. However, its main importance lies in the fact that it includes d'Iherville's discoveries and settlements in 1699 and 1700 on the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi delta. Known examples of this map have, until now, been thought of as the first state but this article describes a previously unrecorded map by G. Delisle bearing the same title and imprint, but depicting a more primitive geography related to the lower Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast, which earns it the title of first state, relegating the previously regarded first state to that of second state. With the appearance of the second state, showing significant changes, the first state became an outdated and erroneous representation,accounting for the fact that its existence had escaped discov ery for more than 280 years.
There are several differences between the two states. The appearance of geographic representations and new place names on the second state are indicative of an increased sophistication. 'L. des Assenipoils' is enlarged when compared to the first state, and contains several islands. To the cast of this lake, at the same latitude, another large lake appears on the second state. To the north of this region, south of 'Porte de Nelson,' 'R. de Bourbon' appears on the second state.
Two small lakes in addition to 'Lac des Tintons' have been added. A river courses from the latter to the 'Missisipi R.' In this region, two other named rivers that enter the Mississippi from the northwest are included in the second state, i.e., `Sioux de I'Ouest' and 'Sioux de l'Est.'
'Quivira, habite par les Aixais,' is present on the first state. On the second state the word 'Quivira' has been moved to the west, while the remainder of the inscription is unchanged. 'Fort de Bonsecours,' appears on the second state. North of 'R. des Ilinois; an unnamed river enters the Mississippi River from the east. In this segment of the map, 'R. Ohio ou la Belle R.,' designates a river on the previously unknown first state, while the name has been deleted from the same delineation of the river on the second state.
The northeastern quarter of the two issues are identical. There is only one disparity between the two states in the southeastern quarter. On the first state the spelling is 'Charleston,' while on the second state the spelling is 'Charlestowne.' The major refinements on the second state focus on the Gulf Coast, the course of the lower portion of the Mississippi River, and the surrounding land. Examples of the second state published at Rue de Canettes, and later states with the Quaie de l'Horloge imprint have been studied, and these show traces of the original outline with the more westerly course of the Mississippi River, and with a stream flowing into B. du S. Espirit. No other example of the previously' unrecorded first state is available for scrutiny. Response to inquiry directed to the Library of Congress, the British Library, the Bibliotheque Nationale, National Map Collection of Canada, Yale University Library, and the Clements Library at the University of Michigan has failed to uncover another example of this issue.
Read Full Article >>
[Acrobat Reader required]
COPYRIGHT March 1984 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
This article chronicles an exciting cartographic find — a map that has escaped notice for almost three centuries. Recently, an American dealer in rare maps uncovered this document in a private collection in Austria. Its emergence has dramatically changed the designation of priority regarding a foundation map in the cartography of North America. This map is now in the collection of one of the authors, Seymour I. Schwartz, a Professor of Surgery at Rochester, New York.
THE NEWLY DISCOVERED first state of `LAmerique Septentrionale' was extracted from a made-up atlas that bore no title and no table of contents. Most of the maps bound together were late seventeenth and early eighteenth century Dutch productions, including the Covens and Mortier issues of Delisle's maps. In addition, the atlas contained the first state of each of the five great Delisle maps of America — `LAmerique Septentrionale,' 1700, TAmerique Meridionale,' 1700, 'Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France . .,' 1703, 'Carte du Mexique et de la Floride . . .,' 1703, and 'Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississipi,' 1718.
TAmerique Septentrionale ... Par G. DeLIsle Geograph y . A Paris Chez l'Autheur Rue de Canettes . 1700; has been designated 'a foundation map." It is the first map to revert to a peninsular form for California, and the first printed map to show the Saragossa Sea. However, its main importance lies in the fact that it includes d'Iherville's discoveries and settlements in 1699 and 1700 on the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi delta. Known examples of this map have, until now, been thought of as the first state but this article describes a previously unrecorded map by G. Delisle bearing the same title and imprint, but depicting a more primitive geography related to the lower Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast, which earns it the title of first state, relegating the previously regarded first state to that of second state. With the appearance of the second state, showing significant changes, the first state became an outdated and erroneous representation,accounting for the fact that its existence had escaped discov ery for more than 280 years.
There are several differences between the two states. The appearance of geographic representations and new place names on the second state are indicative of an increased sophistication. 'L. des Assenipoils' is enlarged when compared to the first state, and contains several islands. To the cast of this lake, at the same latitude, another large lake appears on the second state. To the north of this region, south of 'Porte de Nelson,' 'R. de Bourbon' appears on the second state.
Two small lakes in addition to 'Lac des Tintons' have been added. A river courses from the latter to the 'Missisipi R.' In this region, two other named rivers that enter the Mississippi from the northwest are included in the second state, i.e., `Sioux de I'Ouest' and 'Sioux de l'Est.'
'Quivira, habite par les Aixais,' is present on the first state. On the second state the word 'Quivira' has been moved to the west, while the remainder of the inscription is unchanged. 'Fort de Bonsecours,' appears on the second state. North of 'R. des Ilinois; an unnamed river enters the Mississippi River from the east. In this segment of the map, 'R. Ohio ou la Belle R.,' designates a river on the previously unknown first state, while the name has been deleted from the same delineation of the river on the second state.
The northeastern quarter of the two issues are identical. There is only one disparity between the two states in the southeastern quarter. On the first state the spelling is 'Charleston,' while on the second state the spelling is 'Charlestowne.' The major refinements on the second state focus on the Gulf Coast, the course of the lower portion of the Mississippi River, and the surrounding land. Examples of the second state published at Rue de Canettes, and later states with the Quaie de l'Horloge imprint have been studied, and these show traces of the original outline with the more westerly course of the Mississippi River, and with a stream flowing into B. du S. Espirit. No other example of the previously' unrecorded first state is available for scrutiny. Response to inquiry directed to the Library of Congress, the British Library, the Bibliotheque Nationale, National Map Collection of Canada, Yale University Library, and the Clements Library at the University of Michigan has failed to uncover another example of this issue.
Read Full Article >>
[Acrobat Reader required]
COPYRIGHT March 1984 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
