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Description

Gorgeous full-color example of Homann's map of the Northeast, extending north to include Maine and the St. Lawrence and south to include virtually all of New Jersey.

In the early 18th century, German interest in North America and the prospect of colonization was very high. In response, Homann, Germany's leading map publisher, produced this detailed large format map of New England, with the intention of informing readers and educating would-be immigrants on what to expect in New England. The map is an amalgam of Dutch and English sources. Perhaps most curious is the strait cutting across Cape Cod near Eastham. Several accounts and maps issued during the late 17th and early 18th century indicated that a water passage dissected Cape Cod. Lake Champlain is shown in a much larger than accurate configuration, with a number of other mythical lakes in New York. East and West New Jersey are shown.

The map shows that as the number of English settlements increased in the area, Native American tribal names are notably less plentiful than on Dutch maps of the previous century. The decorative title cartouche shows a European bartering with an Indian for an animal pelt, one of the mainstays of the early New England economy. The cartouche also reveals what the Europeans were offering for trade, including beads, a barrel (presumably filled with liquor), guns, hatchets, tools, and textiles.

Glorious decorative cartouche, soundings, and a host of other details on land and sea.

Reference
McCorckle 724.1 (illustrating the later state); Goss #50; Portinaro & Knirsch pl. 116