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Description

Striking full-color example of Visscher's map of the region bounded by Hudson Bay, the St. Lawrence, and New England in the North and the Chesapeake, Carolinas, Lac Apalache, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron in the West.

The detail of the map is extraordinary for the time period, although the retention of Apalache Lac is curious. Long Island (ou Jork shire) is properly attached to the mainland and East and West Jersey are prominently noted. A remarkable number of towns and Indian Villages are shown, as are many early counties in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Extensive soundings are also shown. The Mare Virginianum or Sea of Virginy is one of the fascinating ephemeral names present on the map.

This is the western sheet only of a pair of maps that are often presented together. The other sheet shows primarily the Canadian Maritimes.

The states of the map are somewhat difficult to differentiate without the right sheet, this is not the first state, but could be circa 1696 to circa 1729.

Condition Description
Several oxidation cracks from the verdigris green color. One area in Virginia has been filled. Cracks have been backed with archival material.
Reference
Burden II, 731; McCorkle 689.8; Kershaw 318; Morrison fig. 28.
Nicolaes Visscher II Biography

Nicolaas Visscher II (1649-1702) was a prominent Dutch cartographer and publisher during the late 17th century. He was the grandson of Claes Janszoon Visscher and the son of Nicolaes Visscher I, both of whom were also renowned cartographers in their own right. After his father's death in 1679, Nicolaas Visscher II took over the family's map publishing business.

In 1680, he married Elizabeth Verseyl from Gouda, and in 1682, he obtained a new privilege from the States of Holland and West Friesland to protect his maps and publications from being copied. Visscher II continued the family tradition of producing high-quality maps, atlases, and globes, often with elaborate and decorative elements. He maintained the Visscher family's reputation for accuracy and craftsmanship in the competitive world of Dutch cartography until his death in 1702. After his death, his widow, Elizabeth, and later his son, also named Nicolaas, continued the business until around 1726.