Rare miniature English map showing California ans an Island, one of the earliest maps of this region to appear in an English Atlas. The map correctly shows the Rio Grande flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, one of the earliest maps to correctly chart the river. A curious small map showing California as an island on the second Sanson model but with two new names in the southern tip: C de la Trinidad and B California. It is also of interest as showing Santa Fe on East bank of the Rio del Norte which continuing debouches into the Gulf of Mexico, where most contemporary maps show it flowing into the Gulf of California. Leighly 82; McLaughlin 98; Tooley 48. This map appeared in Modern's rare Atlas Terestris, first published in 1687.
Robert Morden (d. 1703) was a British map and globe maker. Little is known about his early life, although he was most likely apprenticed to Joseph Moxon. By 1671, Morden was working from the sign of the Atlas on Cornhill, the same address out of which Moxon had previously worked. Most famous for his English county maps, his geography texts, and his wall maps, Morden entered into many partnerships during his career, usually to finance larger publishing projects.