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Hand Embellished With World Travel Routes
Fine original color example of this scarce large format map of the World, published in London by J. & C. Walker.
The present example has been annotated in several colors by an early owner, apparently to illustrate one or more routes on a round the world expedition.
Beginning in the UK at Portsmouth or Southampton, a redline extends across the Atlantic to New York, then overland to Colorado, where it splits into two routes. The northern route crosses over the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River and then to the Pacific. The southern route crosses to the Salt Lake area and then to San Francisco and the Pacific. The lines rejoin near Hawaii, then to Singapore and through the Straits of Malacca, to Sri Lanka, where the journey divides again. One line extends to Calcutta, the crosses through India with several splits before joining at Hyderabad, before crossing Persia, Turkey and the Balkans regions, before reaching the Danube and cruising up river to the Antwerp area. The second route shows two routes from India to the Gulf, to Suez, overland toward Cairo and the Mediterranean, then by sea back to England.
Revised by Walker on a more or less annual basis, this large-scale map of the World was issued shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo (1848), by which Texas, California and the Rocky Mountain States were officially joined to the United States. The plate was only partially revised, however, and the name of Mexico still extends across the greater part of the American West.
Appearing in the year of the California Gold Rush, the map also pre-dates the Gadsden Purchase. Alaska is Russian America.
In Canada, many of the Forts and trading houses established by the Hudson's Bay Company are shown.
Of note are the early discoveries listed in the Antarctic:
- Enderby Land discovered by Capt Biscoe in 1831
- Land seen by Capt Kemp in 1833
- Land discovered by Capt. Willkes, US Navy in January 1840
- Land discovered by Capt. D'Urville in 1840
- South Shetland Coastline, discovered by Biscoe in February 1832
- The large inset shows the routes of Balleny in 1839, Cook in 1773 and 1774, Belinghausen in 1820, Kemp in 1833, Biscoe in 1822 and 1831, and Ross in 1841 and 1842
In the Arctic Regions, recent discoveries are shown, including:
- Lands discovered by Simson and Dease on the north coast of Alaska
- Lands discovered by Franklin Richardson and Back
- Anjou's discoveries, 1821-23, in the Liakhov Islands
- Lands in Greenland examined by Claveing and Scoresby in 1822
The interior of Africa is largely unmapped, as is the interior of Australia, which includes the region named Australia Felix (western Victoria).
J. & C. Walker was the imprint used by the Walker family of engravers and printers. They produced numerous high-quality geographical maps and nautical charts for a variety of institutions in the nineteenth century. John Walker (1787-1873) held the position of Hydrographer to the East India Company, a position also held by his father and namesake. John worked in partnership with his brothers, Charles and Alexander. The brothers published over 200 maps for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. They produced maps for James Horsburgh and the Admiralty, as well as the influential Indian Atlas.
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