G.W. & C.B. Colton & Co.
New Sectional Map of the State of Florida
New York: 1884 (copyright 1880)
Pocket map, folding into embossed cloth covers as issued
31.5 x 24 inches, overall
6.25 x 4 inches, covers
$3,200
New Sectional Map of the State of Florida
Colton Pocket Map, 1884
Colton Pocket Map, 1884
Full map, unfolded
 Detail |
Front cover |
 Cartouche |
Pocket map of typical format of a portion of Florida, from the state line with Georgia in the north to Lake Okeechobee in the south, and from the Atlantic Coast in the east to Madison and Taylor Counties in the west, omitting the Florida Panhandle. Counties are outlined in green, yellow and pink. Other geographical entities include towns, lakes, rivers, bays, and coastal islands. The map is at a scale of 10 miles to an inch. A grid is laid over most of the map, according to the plan adopted in surveying the Public Lands of the United States, in which the country is divided into townships by lines 6 miles apart, which are further subdivided into a smaller grid of 640-acre sections. Text on the map explains how the grids can be used to locate any piece of land on the map.
Between 1831 and 1890, the Colton family was among the most prominent and prolific American map publishers. The company was founded by Joseph H. Colton, who had no formal training in geography or cartography; his principal role was to manage the production and distribution of the maps. He began by publishing maps drawn by David H. Burr in the 1830s. The firm was renamed G.W. & C.B. Colton in the 1860s when Colton was succeeded by his sons -- George Woolworth Colton (1827-1901) and Charles B. Colton (c. 1831-1916). George Colton compiled the company's 1855 Atlas of the World and served thereafter as the firm's principal map compiler, cartographer and engraver. The company continued to publish a wide range of atlases, pocket maps, wall maps, folding maps for books, etc. until the 1890s, at which point mass production began to overtake the map business. According to map historian Walter W. Ristow, “[h]aving built their business on engraving and lithography, the Coltons were apparently unwilling to reorganize it."
Cartouche: “Colton’s New Sectional Map of the Eastern Portion of Florida. From the surveys of the U.S. Land Office, the U.S. Coast Survey and other Original Sources. G.W. & C.B. Colton & Co. 182 William St. New York.”
Condition: Generally very good, the map with the usual overall light wear, toning, soiling, handling, spotting, soft creases. Usual light wear, browning, and minor openings at fold intersections. Covers good with usual light overall toning, wear, soiling abrasions.
References:
Cohen, Paul E. and Augustyn, Robert T. Manhattan in Maps: 1527-1995. New York: Rizzoli, 1997. p. 120.
Ristow, Walter W. American Maps & Mapmakers: Commercial Cartography in the 19th Century. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1985. pp. 325, 327.