Item #291533 Carte De La Californie Et Des Pays Nord Ouest separes de L'Asie par le Detroit d'Anian. Robert de VAUGONDY.

Carte De La Californie Et Des Pays Nord Ouest separes de L'Asie par le Detroit d'Anian

Paris: 1772.

Map. Engraving. Image measures 12" x 14".

A unique comparison map of the western coast of North America from the Strait of Anian in Alaska to Baja, California. The Strait of Anian is now known to be fictitious, part of the aspirational Northwest Passage, a link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans which many explorers aimed to prove existed. San Francisco can be seen, labeled on the smaller inset, and the Sierra Nevada mountain range is labeled on the larger map. One inset lays on the other, each depicting the same area but with different interpretations. These two coastal studies are based on maps by Vischer from 1612 and 1641, and appeared in the Supplement to Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie. Light stains in margins at top and in the top right corner. Good condition. An interesting peek into perceptions of coastal geography of the time.

Gilles Robert de Vaugondy (1688-1766) was an important French mapmaker during the 18th century. His "Atlas Universel" was one of the most significant atlases of the period, integrating older sources with more modern surveyed maps in order to convey correct geographical and political information.

Language: English

Price: $400.00

Item #291533

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