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Description

Antique Map of the United States -- Early Indian Tribe References on the Mississippi River

Early French map of the United States, engraved by Tardieu.

An interesting map of the newly minted United States, showing the 13 original states, plus Vermont.  The list of states also includes state capital cities, most of which are no longer capital cities.

While the map pre-dates St. Louis, the name Peouarias appears, an early reference to the Indian village which would give Peoria, Illinois its name, along with Caskakias (Kaskasia).

The present example differs from the first state with the removal of the * next to Vermont (and removal of the explanation below), and addition of Chicacas in west Tennessee. 

Descriptive information courtesy of Jay Lester.

Condition Description
Minor soiling.
Pierre Antoine Tardieu Biography

Pierre Antoine Tardieu (1784-1869), also known to sign his works as PF Tardieu, was a prolific French map engraver and geographer. The Tardieu family, based in Paris, was well known for their talent in engraving, cartography, and illustration. Pierre Antoine’s father, Antoine Francois Tardieu, was an established cartographer who published numerous atlases. His son is said to have collaborated with him for many years before establishing his own independent career.

Pierre Antoine Tardieu’s most famous work includes engravings of the islands of La Palma and Tenerife, for which in 1818 he was awarded a bronze medal by King Louis-Phillipe for the beauty and accuracy of his mapping. Other famous work includes his mapping of Louisiana and Mexico, engravings of Irish counties, maps of Russia and Asia, and his highly celebrated illustrations of all the provinces of France. He was also the first mapmaker to engrave on steel.

Tardieu was a popular map engraver in his lifetime, enjoying the patronage of the likes of Alexander von Humboldt and respect among his peers. In 1837, he was appointed the title Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. As was written in his obituary in the Bulletin of the Geographical Society of France, he was renowned for his combination of technical talent and scholarly research skills and praised for furthering his family’s well-respected name in the scientific arts.