1817 Europe
By: John Thomson
Date: 1817 (published) Edinburgh
Dimensions: 17.8 x 21 inches (45.2 x 53.3 cm)
This is a lovely antique map of Europe by John Thomson, dated 1817. The map offers a highly detailed rendering of Europe, the western part of Russia. It also includes Anatolia, the eastern end of the Mediterranean and northern Africa to a point southwest of Gibraltar. The map is color coded by country with hundreds of cities and towns noted throughout.
The map presents the continent in an interesting period of its history. Published in 1817, this map was produced in the aftermath of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars (1799–1815), which reshaped European borders and political systems. The Congress of Vienna (1815) would establish a conservative order aimed at restoring monarchies and preventing future revolutions.
Industrialization was transforming economies, particularly in Britain, fostering urbanization and the rise of the working class. Nationalism and liberalism were growing forces, challenging traditional empires like the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. All things considered, the map presents Europe at a time when the countries within were on the cusp of profound social and political transformation.
Condition: This map is in B+ condition with some offsetting and uneven toning. A minor centerfold separation has been repaired on the verso using archival materials.
Inventory #10973
1200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622