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This finely engraved Dutch map of Martinique was first issued by Isaak Tirion in his Nieuwe Hand-Atlas (Amsterdam, 1739) and later reused in his Hedendaagsche Historie, of Tegenwoordige Staat van Amerika, published between 1763 and 1769. The plate combines precise scientific rendering with baroque decorative flourishes, offering a Dutch perspective on a French colony already emerging as one of the most profitable in the Caribbean in the decades before mid-century.
Tirion likely drew heavily on French sources, yet reframed the geography for a Dutch-speaking readership. All place names are translated or transliterated into Dutch, and a legend at lower right classifies features into five categories: individual dwellings or plantations; sugar works powered by oxen; water mills; locations fixed by astronomical observation; and coastal batteries. These symbols describe a landscape organized around plantation production, structured by enslaved labor, and fortified to secure French imperial interests.
Relief is conveyed through bold hachuring, capturing the volcanic topography that shaped the island’s agricultural development and transportation routes. Roads connect Fort Royal (now Fort-de-France) with Saint-Pierre and La Trinité. The Cul-de-Sac Royal, the best natural harbor in the Lesser Antilles, is shown in particular detail, with soundings and shoals intricately engraved.
The title cartouche, framed by dense sugarcane, is executed in a lively rococo style. Paired scales of Dutch sea miles and German land miles adorn its base.
At the time of this map’s original publication, Martinique was well established as a hub of sugar and coffee production, second only to Saint-Domingue in its output and profitability. The enslaved African population already vastly outnumbered the free inhabitants, and plantation infrastructure, was expanding rapidly to meet global demand. Although France would temporarily lose the island to Britain during the Seven Years’ War, this map predates that upheaval, capturing Martinique in a period of confident colonial ascendancy and sustained commercial integration with European finance and shipping networks.
Isaak Tirion was a prominent Dutch publisher based in Amsterdam in the eighteenth century. He is best known for historical works that included prints showing scenes from around the world. He also produced maps, such as those in the Nieuwe Hand-Atlas of 1744.
![Martinico [and] Dominica](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/85250.jpg)
