1784 Charte uber die XIII vereinigte Staaten von Nord-America...
DESCRIPTION
This finely engraved map by F. L. Güssefeld represents one of the earliest European acknowledgments of the United States, published in 1784, just one year after the Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolution. It offers a distinctly German perspective on the newly independent republic, depicting the political organization and territorial understanding of North America at a defining historical moment.
Geography and Political Divisions of America
The map extends westward beyond the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River, showing the new nation bordered by Spanish Louisiana to the west and British Canada to the north. Each of the thirteen original states is individually hand colored in pastel tones, with a lettered key beneath the title cartouche identifying the northern states. Vermont is notably omitted, appearing as part of New Hampshire, and Maryland’s boundaries extend unusually far south into Virginia.
The western regions are labeled as lands ceded to the United States by the Treaty of 1783. While largely unorganized, dotted lines project westward from several southern states, indicating their early claims reaching the Mississippi. This presentation reflects the transitional nature of American geography in the immediate postwar period, when western expansion remained uncertain and much of the frontier was defined more by speculation than by settlement.
Frontier Detail and Cartographic Style
Rivers, towns, forts, and numerous Native American nations are carefully noted throughout, illustrating both the extent of European knowledge and the vastness of the interior. A curious feature is the depiction of a large area of marshland along the Wabash River, likely a misinterpretation of early survey information. The title cartouche, framed by an elegant rococo design, lists the original states and lends the map a refined aesthetic typical of late eighteenth-century German engraving.
Overall, this is an important and visually appealing map of the emerging United States as recognized in Europe immediately after independence, offering a rare continental view of the new republic’s uncertain boundaries and ambitious future.
CONDITION
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