1843-1850 Amerique Meridionale
DESCRIPTION
Victor Levasseur's 'Atlas National' was one of the most decorative and visually striking atlases of the 19th century. This decorative map from it depicts South America with political divisions in colour, and exemplifies Levasseur’s technique and great sense of style, replete with aesthetic and allegorical imagery. The map is surrounded by vignettes including animals such as horses, a jaguar, a tapir, a crocodile and a snake. Indigenous peoples are represented as are Europeans. Busy mining operations are rendered, and atop the map are personifications of the Amazon and the La Plata, the major rivers of the continent. A city seen from a distance further embellishes the map, its wide variety of religious edifices suggesting a high degree of religious tolerance. These vignettes compliment the wonderful geographic information provided by the map.
Victor Levasseur was an important French engineer, cartographer, and engraver of the mid-19th century who held a number of important cartographically related political and educations posts in France. He is most famous for his Atlas National Illustré des 86 Départements et des Possessions de La France, a large decorative atlas of France, including his Planisphere and five important continental maps. Levasseur's maps are distinctive for their wide decorative margins containing elaborate depictions of the scenery, peoples, and trade goods of the areas he mapped. Levasseur maps are also known to offer a wealth of statistical data. Until recently, very few Levasseur Atlases had migrated out of France, where they were mostly used in public libraries and town halls.
CONDITION
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