This map depicts the southern regions of Germany, encompassing key territories of the German Confederation following the Napoleonic Wars.
The map covers a broad region of southern Germany, including areas bordering Switzerland to the south and extending eastward into territories that include Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The Rhine River and its tributaries, along with the mountainous regions of the Black Forest and the Alps, are prominently depicted, showcasing the varied topography of the region.
The map is color-coded to distinguish between different states and territories within the German Confederation. These include Bavaria (clearly marked as a dominant region), Württemberg, Baden, and smaller principalities, duchies, and ecclesiastical states. Major cities, including Munich, Stuttgart, and Nuremberg, are prominently labeled.
Produced in the aftermath of the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), this map captures the reorganization of German territories into the German Confederation, a loose association of sovereign states created to replace the dissolved Holy Roman Empire.
John Thomson (1777-ca. 1840) was a commercial map publisher active in Edinburgh. He specialized in guide books and atlases and is primarily known for his Atlas of Scotland (1832) and the New General Atlas, first published in 1817 and reissued for the next quarter century. The New General Atlas was a commercial success—it was also published in Dublin and London—and it compiled existing geographic knowledge in compelling ways for a wide audience.
His Atlas of Scotland introduced new geographic information and was the first large-scale atlas of Scotland to be organized by county. It provided the most-accurate view of Scotland available before the Clearances. Work on the atlas began in 1820 and led to Thomson’s bankruptcy in 1830 due to the high costs of gathering the latest surveys and reviewing the required materials. Despite the publication of the atlas, Thomson declared bankruptcy again in 1835.