1722 Carte d'Amerique Dressee pour l'Usage du Roy. Par Guillaume Delisle Premier Geographe de sa Majeste DE L’Academie Royale des Sciences
By: Guillaume Delisle
Date: 1722 (dated) Paris
Dimensions: 19.3 x 24.3 inches (49 x 62 cm)
This is an authentic antique map of the Western Hemisphere by Guillaume Delisle. This example is the 1st issue of the 2nd state published in Paris, 1722.
This map is regarded as one of the more important maps of the “new world” to come out of the 18th century. Originally published in 1722, the map was updated and republished for over 100 years. While the map corrects previous misconceptions, such as California not being an island, it still illustrates the lack of geographical knowledge Europeans had in the early 1700s. For instance, the interior regions of the Amazon and the lands east of Patagonia show little detail, while in the northern hemisphere, much of present day Canada doesn’t even have a coastline.
The political bias of Guillaume Delisle is obvious in the map. At the time, he served as the premier geographer to King Louis XV of France. In North America, the Louisiana Territory and French Canada are shown to dominate the majority of the continent, while the British colonies seem to hug the coastline and appear almost insignificant in comparison to the territory “controlled” by the French. In actuality the number of French troops in the Louisiana Territory was outnumbered by the Native American population by well over 1,000 to 1. The idea of any European control over the majority of the continent at the time is laughable.
Condition: Map is in C+ condition with minor fold separation in the bottom center and a 2.5 inch tear in the south Pacific that has been professionally repaired on the verso. Margins have also been added for framing purposes.
Inventory # 18790
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