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Description

Striking map of the state of Rhode Island from Finley's New General Atlas.

The map is hand colored by counties and shows towns, roads, rivers, mountains and other geographical features.  Excellent detail throughout Narragansett Bay and in the interior townships, which are named.

Block Island is depicted and noted as being part of Newport County.

During the 1820s, Rhode Island's economy continued to grow and prosper. Agriculture remained an important part of the state's economy, with farmers producing a wide variety of crops, including wheat, corn, and vegetables. The state's ports, particularly those in the cities of Providence and Newport, were busy with trade, importing goods from Europe and exporting the state's agricultural products.

The textile industry was also a major contributor to Rhode Island's economy in the 1820s. The state was home to many cotton and woolen mills, which employed thousands of people and produced a wide range of textiles, including clothing, blankets, and towels. The growth of the textile industry in Rhode Island was aided by the state's abundant water power, which was used to operate the mills, and by the availability of raw materials, such as cotton and wool. 

Anthony Finley Biography

Anthony Finley (1784-1836) was an American map publisher. Little is known about his life. He is presumed to have been born in Philadelphia, where he also died. A publisher, Finley was also involved in several Philadelphia civic and professional societies such as the Philadelphia Apprentices’ Library. He may have been in business as early as 1809 and his first publication dates from ca. 1811.

His first maps also date from this year, with two maps in Daniel Edward Clarke’s Travels in Various Countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The first atlas published by Finley appeared in 1818, the Atlas classica, or, Select maps of ancient geography, both sacred and profane, for the use of colleges and schools in the United States. He is best known for his A New General Atlas Comprising a Complete Set of Maps (1824), which was a bestseller. There were two editions in 1824, with annual editions until 1834.

Finley was part of the first generation of American publishers who produced high quality, precise maps on American soil. He was in competition with other Philadelphia publishers, for example Henry S. Tanner. Finley’s A New American Atlas Designed Principally to Illustrate the Geography of the United States of America (1826) closely mirrors Tanner’s A New American Atlas Containing Maps of the Several States of the North American Union, with similar groupings of maps; the main difference is the smaller scale of Finley’s maps. Finley printed two editions of this atlas.