|
||
|
|
|
|
This 1841 map of Europe by James Wyld presents the continent in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, reflecting the territorial resolutions of the 1815 Congress of Vienna. The map outlines national and regional borders with delicate hand coloring and provides detailed topographic and political features, including cities, rivers, and mountain ranges.
The map captures the fragmented nature of Central and Eastern Europe, with the German Confederation replacing the dissolved Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire occupying a vast central swath. France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Ottoman-controlled Balkans are clearly delineated, while Russia dominates the northeast. The map also shows Iceland and the western reaches of Asia Minor, situating Europe within its broader geographic context.
James Wyld Sr. (1790-1836) was a British cartographer and one of Europe’s leading mapmakers. He made many contributions to cartography, including the introduction of lithography into map printing in 1812.
William Faden, another celebrated cartographer, passed down his mapmaking business to Wyld in 1823. The quality and quantity of Faden’s maps, combined with Wyld’s considerable skill, brought Wyld great prestige.
Wyld was named geographer to Kings George IV and William IV, as well as HRH the Duke of York. In 1825, he was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Geographical Society in 1830. Also in 1830, his son, James Wyld Jr., took over his publishing house. Wyld Sr. died of overwork on October 14, 1836.
James Wyld Jr. (1812-87) was a renowned cartographer in his own right and he successfully carried on his father’s business. He gained the title of Geographer to the Queen and H.R.H. Prince Albert. Punch (1850) described him in humorous cartographic terms, “If Mr. Wyld’s brain should be ever discovered (we will be bound he has a Map of it inside his hat), we should like to have a peep at it, for we have a suspicion that the two hemispheres must be printed, varnished, and glazed, exactly like a pair of globes.”
![[ First World War) ] The World Cannot Live Half Slave, Half Free -- The Prussian Blot -- 100,000,000 People Already Enslaved By Germany](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/68731.jpg)
![[ First English Sea Chart of Europe ] A Generall Carde, & discription of the Sea Coastes of Europa, and navigation in this booke conteyned](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/51688.jpg)
![[ Eclipse of May 12, 1706 ] Europa Christiani Orbis Domina in Sua Imperia Regna . . .](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/91457.jpg)