1841 Olney's School Atlas
DESCRIPTION
This is an uncommon mid-19th century school atlas titled Olney’s School Atlas, published in New York by Robinson, Pratt & Co. as a companion to Jesse Olney’s widely used geography textbooks. Entered according to Act of Congress in 1841, this work reflects a period when American education was becoming increasingly standardized, and atlases like this one served as essential tools for teaching geography to young students.
The atlas contains a series of hand-colored engraved maps depicting the world, continents, and regions of the United States. Included are a double-hemisphere world map in globular projection, continental maps of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and detailed regional maps of the Eastern, Middle, Western, and Southern States.
The map of the United States is particularly significant, showing the young nation in transition with expansive western territories such as “Oregon Territory,” “Iowa Territory,” and “Unexplored Region,” while notably identifying Texas as an independent Republic following its separation from Mexico in 1836 and prior to U.S. annexation in 1845. The maps are enhanced by pastel hand-coloring, engraved detail, and supplementary notes on distances, populations, and key cities, all designed to make geography more accessible to students.
An additional plate titled A Chart compares the relative size, population, forms of government, and manners of building among the world’s nations. This teaching aid reduces complex information into square-block diagrams and illustrated examples, contrasting “savage,” “half-civilized,” “civilized,” and “enlightened nations” through depictions of an Indian village, Morocco, Constantinople, and New York. Though reflecting outdated cultural attitudes of the 19th century, it offers valuable insight into the educational methods and prevailing worldviews of the time.
Olney’s School Atlas is both a teaching artifact and a cartographic record of the United States in the 1830s and 1840s, capturing the era of westward expansion, shifting borders, and the development of public education. Its depiction of Texas as a republic, together with the unsettled western frontier, makes it an especially valuable resource for collectors and historians seeking to understand how geography was taught during a formative period of American history.
The atlas retains its original printed wrappers, featuring a decorative title page with allegorical figures and a list of contents. The back wrapper presents publisher testimonials and recommendations from educators, many of whom praised Olney’s system as one of the most effective geography curricula available in antebellum America.
CONDITION
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