Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account
This item has been sold, but you can enter your email address to be notified if another example becomes available.
Description

One of the earliest printed maps to name the United States and one of the earliest to include a (partial) image of the American Flag.

The map shows the new States of America in their earliest configurations. Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia all extend to the Mississippi River. Pennsylvania includes about half of Ohio an a big part of New York, and New York has a curious irregular shape. "Main" is named, but with a very curious unsettled border.

A massive stretch of land below the Great Lakes and extending to the Mississippi River is named "Contrees Cedees Aux Etats-Unis les 30 9bre. 1782)" (Country ceded to the U.S. by the Treaty of September 30, 1782) Many Indian Tribes are named, with interesting annotations throughout the interior of the map. There are already early hints of settlement in the region that would become Ohio.

The unknown source of the Missouri River is noted, as are the French explorations in the region. A number of early French and English forts on both sides of the Mississippi River are shown, as are notes regarding earlier discoveries of the Mississippi by De Soto (1641), the French Fort near Natchez (1730) etc. A scarce early map of the United States.

The first edition of the map, published by Esnaut & Rapilly. This second edition substitutes Desnos as the publisher.

Reference
McCorkle, B.B. (New England) 784.2; Sellers & Van Ee #746; Ristow, W.W. (Amer M&M) p.63.
Louis Brion de la Tour Biography

Louis Brion de la Tour (ca. 1743-1803) was a French geographer and demographer. Little is known about Louis’ early life, but some glimpses of his professional life survive. He did achieve the title of Ingénieur Géographe du Roi. Much of his work was done in partnership with Louis Charles Desnos, who was bookseller and geographical engineer for globes to the Danish Crown. He worked on the Indicateur fidèle ou guide des voyageurs, qui enseigne toutes les routes royales between 1762 and 1785. During his career he also worked on several atlases. By 1795, he had gained a pension from the National Assembly. Perhaps this pension was granted in part because his son, also Louis Brion de la Tour (1763-1823), was an engraver who made Revolutionary prints, as well as maps.