|
||
|
|
|
|
First edition of Santini's map of Canada, New York and New England based upon D'Anville's seminal map of 1746.
This map shows the northeast corner of North America in the mid-1700s. It covers Canada, New England, Nova Scotia (then called Acadia), and Newfoundland. Coastlines, rivers, and Native nations are labeled with French names, as the base work was drawn by the French mapmaker d’Anville before France lost these lands.
The year 1776 is important. Britain had taken Canada from France in 1763, but the place names on this map still reflect the old French era. At the same moment, Britain’s thirteen colonies, seen along the lower edge from Long Island up to Maine, were then in the second year of the American Revolution.
The sweeping green and red hand-colored lines mark colonial borders that were still somewhat fluid and disputed.
The map utilizes the same cartouche as De Vaugondy's map of Canada but does not include the large inset map of the Great Lakes.
Paolo Santini (1729-1793) was an Venetian engraver known especially for his religious prints and fine cartographic engravings. He published in Venice and may have a been a member of the clergy. In his maps, he largely adopted and adapted the work of his French counterparts, especially the brothers de Vaugondy.
![Massachusetts [Rand, McNally & Company's Indexed Atlas of the World]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/106701.jpg)
