1825-1827 Amer. Mer. No. 26. Partie De La Plata.
By: Philippe Marie Vandermaelen
Date: 1827 (Published) Brussels
Dimensions: 18.5 x 21 inches (47 x 53.3 cm)
This antique map of what is now Argentina depicts a portion of the drainage basin of the great De La Plata river system in South America, the second largest of the continent. Some of the world’s largest hydroelectric dams now operate in the river’s drainage system. Major and minor river systems are well depicted, and many place names dot the map. Mountain ranges are shown in hachure.
The maps’ most distinguishing qualities include the use of the same scale and projection for each map. The consistent nature of these elements allowed said maps to be joined together to form a huge globe measuring over 25 feet in diameter.
About Philippe Marie Vandermaelen
Born to a wealthy family, Vandermaelen was more interested in cartography than in his father’s business, and was obsessed with maps from a young age. He taught himself mathematics, astronomy, and mapmaking and even plotted the battles of the Napoleonic wars on his own. He made a mark for himself by publishing the first lithographic atlas, his Atlas Universel, which was considered by many to have been one of the most remarkable world atlases ever made. The Atlas was published once, with only 810 copies of it sold. In 1836 for his services to geography and the intellectual community of Belgium, Vandermaelen was knighted.
Condition: This hand colored crisp lithograph on beautiful heavy paper is in superb A condition.
Inventory #11732
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