New Map of the United States, Mexico, Central America, West Indies, and Part of Canada Showing Rail-Road and Steam Ship Routes &c.
No publisher or date, but American: c. 1850s
Hand-colored engraving, backed on linen
32.5 x 41.5 inches
$9,000
Large Wall Map of North America: 1850s
Profusely Illustrated with Bird Studies
Profusely Illustrated with Bird Studies
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Large and unusual wall map of most of North America centered on the United States, by an unknown publisher. As a subtitle advertises, the map is “Bordered with the Most Beautiful Birds of the World.” The map captures the United States at a transitional point in its history, when some of the current states had not yet been admitted into the Union, many had different capitals than they do today, and major railroad lines were under construction. American and Mexican states and territories and Central American countries are colored red, orange, green, and yellow with dark red outlines. Geographic information includes rivers, mountain ranges shaded to look three-dimensional, towns in graduated sizes, canals, forts, railroads and railroads in progress. Beneath the cartouche the publishers state that their map has been “prepared from the latest surveys and best authorities.”
The map is profusely illustrated with natural history studies of birds. As such, this work is an unusual combination of cartography and ornithology. The elaborate border contains four large vignettes in each corner grouping different types of birds: “Water Fowl,” “Domestic Fowls,” “Mexican Trogans,” and “Pheasants, Grouse and Quails.” Along each side are smaller individual depictions of other birds. As is typical of the Victorian style popular during this period, decoration abounds, with the bird illustrations each surrounded by borders of roses and other flowers, and on the map itself, tiny clipper ships dot the seas. On the left and right sides between the map and the birds, colored rectangular blocks each contain almanac information about a different state: population as of the 1850 census, state capital, number of counties, number of Congressional representatives and electoral votes, square mileage and acreage and when it entered the Union. One block lists all the “Territories,” which at the time included Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon and Washington.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall toning, wear, discolorations, soft creases. Formerly on wooden rollers. Few small abrasions and minor losses professionally restored; also old varnish removed, and map re-backed on linen with new selvedge on all four sides rather than rollers.