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Mathew Carey (1760-1839) was an American publisher who founded what would become the largest American publishing house of the nineteenth century. As a young man, he emigrated from Dublin to Philadelphia in 1784. A year later, in 1785, he set up a print shop and publishing house, where he was primarily a publisher of journals and serials, including the Pennsylvania Evening Herald. His first cartographic production, A General Atlas for the Present War, was issued in 1794. It is largely based on maps drawn from William Guthrie’s Atlas to Guthrie’s System of Geography, a popular text book of the period first issued in London in 1770.

In 1795, Carey published The General Atlas for Carey’s Edition of Guthrie’s Geography Improved, which included sixteen maps of the American States. These maps, plus five others, were issued under the title American Atlas later in 1795. The American Atlas holds the distinction of being the earliest general atlas of the United States. Engravers included William Barker, Joseph T. Scott, James Thackery and John Vallance of Philadelphia, Samuel Hill of Boston, Amos Doolittle of New Haven, Connecticut, and Benjamin Tanner of New York. Samuel Lewis served as geographer, draftsman, mapmaker and penman, and made substantial contributions to the work. Later, he partnered with Aaron Arrowsmith of London.

In 1796, Carey released his General Atlas, which included maps of the rest of the world. This work was issued with periodic updates through 1818. A second edition of Carey’s American Atlas was published in 1809, expanding the American coverage to 26 maps. During this time period, two of the maps which were offered with the atlas do not appear in all editions, Lewis’ map of the United States and his map of the Old Northwest Territory, which was published to illustrate the United States’ new land rights obtained in the Treaty of Grenville. Carey would also publish the first miniature atlas published in America, his American Pocket Atlas, published from 1796 to 1814.

Mathew Carey retired in 1822, leaving his son Henry Charles Carey and his son-in-law Isaac Lea the publishing house he had built over the prior four decades. He died in 1839. The pair conducted business as Carey & Lea, during which time they published A Complete Historical, Chronological and Geographical Atlas from 1822 to 1827. This work included roughly twenty maps engraved by Fielding Lucas Jr., as well as an American edition of Starling’s Cabinet Atlas. However, the firm increasingly turned away from cartographic publications.

Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
20.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
60937
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
12 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
91746
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15.5 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
98264
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 10 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
98707
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
14.5 x 13.25 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
99000
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
13.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99004
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
14 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99006
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
14 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
101590
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
104157
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
13 x 14 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
106725
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1796
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
91850
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83278
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
5.5 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100488
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
8 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100489
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100491
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
8 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100492
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100494
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100495
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100503
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100504
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 8 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100506
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
5.5 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
62979
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
15 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75694
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
20 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
78021
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
18.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
76215
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78167
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
78245
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
9 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
76465
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
8 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78093
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
18.5 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
79252
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
85096
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
13.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
88258
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
9.5 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
88970
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
8 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
90231
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
6 x 8 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
92447
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
101129
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
18 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
103365
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17 x 15 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
103473
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
103540

Archived

Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1794
Size:
17 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0372
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1794
Size:
17 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
22047
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16.5 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
11563
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
13.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
12087
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
14 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG-
Stock#:
1333
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
14220
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
14223
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
21 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
15042
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
20.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
m0022
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0040
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
m0065
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795 (1800)
Size:
20 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0201
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0223
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0229
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795 (1800)
Size:
18.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0260
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0445
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
14 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m0469
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m9475
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15.5 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20198
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20287
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20822
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20823
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16.5 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20824
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16.5 x 9.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20880
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20881
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
13.5 x 9.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
20883
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20882
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20968
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20969
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20970
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
13.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
21129
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
21376
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
20.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
21429
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
m20999
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795 (1800)
Size:
20 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
22046
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
22039
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
24915
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
26361
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
36280
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
46689
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
38137
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795 circa
Size:
21 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
44324
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
16 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
43098