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A handsome example of the very rare first state of Jacques Nicolas Bellin's map of the Great Lakes, a cartographic milestone that would come to dominate the portrayal of New France's interior even after it was lost in the French and Indian War.
Remarkable for its comprehensive depiction of the Great Lakes region, this large-format map set a new standard for accuracy and detail that subsequent cartographers would rely upon for generations. The map is very rare on the market; we have offered it only once before, and OldMaps.com records no examples in the last 25 years.
The map is the definitive representation of French geographical knowledge in North America at its zenith. This 1745 edition builds upon Bellin's smaller 1744 map, which appeared in the rare Histoire et Description Generale de la Nouvelle France..., in which he first brought to light the wealth of manuscript materials from French marine archives. Chief among Bellin's sources were the surveys of Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, the preeminent military engineer in New France. Bellin's privileged position as chief hydrographer to the French Navy granted him unparalleled access to the latest exploratory data, including vital information from Sieur de La Verendrye's western expeditions. This synthesis of cutting-edge sources allowed Bellin to create a map that not only surpassed all previous efforts in its accuracy but also served as a powerful geopolitical statement of French territorial claims.
Interestingly, on Bellin's map the Great Lakes dominate the English colonies to their east; New Jersey looks as though it could fit into Lake Erie ten times over again. The Delaware and Chesapeake Bays are compressed and shortened, and New York ("Nouve Yorc") barely clings onto the edge of the map.
The 1745 edition's enduring influence on subsequent cartography cannot be overstated. Bellin's detailed depiction of the Great Lakes, including the notable introduction of spurious islands in Lake Superior that would persist on maps for nearly a century, exemplifies the work's long-lasting impact. His rendering of river systems, French settlements, and indigenous villages encapsulated the extent of French geographical knowledge at a critical juncture in North American history.
Bellin further revised this map in 1755, incorporating new data and refining details. The 1755 map includes a note in French, stating:
On new observations the size of Lakes Eric and Ontario has been greatly diminished. There is every reason to believe that Lakes Huron, Michigan and Lake Superior need similar corrections; but more reliable knowledge is awaited before making them.
The later Bellin map shows the Ohio River extending below the neat line and includes significantly more detail on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, a very different shape for Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and significantly different topographical features in general. Essentially, the entire eastern half of the map has been completely revised.
Rarity
The map is extremely rare on the market.
We note no examples in published auction results (RBH) and no examples listed in OldMaps.com after 1999.
We have handled the map only once before (offered in 2019).
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was among the most important mapmakers of the eighteenth century. In 1721, at only the age of 18, he was appointed Hydrographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographic Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.
During his term as Official Hydrographer, the Dépôt was the one of the most active centers for the production of sea charts and maps in Europe. Their output included a folio-format sea atlas of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea atlases of the world, including the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame and distinction all over Europe and were republished throughout the eighteenth and even in the nineteenth century.
Bellin also produced smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime, containing 580 finely-detailed charts. He also contributed a number of maps for the 15-volume Histoire Generale des Voyages of Antoine François Prévost.
Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy, cementing France's leading role in European cartography and geography during this period. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers across the continent.
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