Map of the World: An Original 18th Century Hand-Colored Map by E. Bowen, 1744

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This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "A New & Correct Chart of All The Known World Laid … Read more This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "A New & Correct Chart of All The Known World Laid down according to Mercator's Projection" by Emanuel Bowen. It was published in 1744 in London in John Harris's "Navigantium atque Itinerantium Bibliotheca" or "A Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels". This highly detailed and colorful map depicts the world. as it was known in the mid 18th century. A majority of the northern and central portions of Canada and America are left blank due to the purity of knowledge at the time this map was published.
The map is embellished with four Compass Roses in the lower left, lower center, lower right and center, along with many rhumb lines. There a is a decorative title cartouche in the upper left. This colorful, attractive, historical and interesting 1744 map presents the entire world on Mercator's projection as it was understood in the middle part of the 18th century, before the landmark explorations of Captain’s Cook, Vancouver, Wilkes and others. It is an example of a nautical chart, a type of map that was designed specifically for use by mariners. The map is centered on the equator and includes both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The continents of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia are depicted, as well as various islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The map is laid out according to the Mercator projection, a type of cylindrical map projection that was developed in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. This projection has the advantage of preserving angles and shapes, making it useful for navigation. The map presents a paucity of inland detail, particularly for the Americas, but major cities, geographical landmarks, and regions are included. Ocean currents and Tradewinds are identified, as well as the magnetic declination lines or magnetic variance, which refers to the difference between true north and compass north. The continents are color coded, enhancing the beauty of this map. The three compass roses indicate the directions of the cardinal points.
The depiction of the western coast of America, the Pacific and Australia are interesting. There was very little exploration of Australia between the navigations of William Damper in 1699 and Tobias Furneaux in 1773. Most of the maps detail relies on the 17th century Dutch expeditions to Australia's western coast, by Abel Tasman and William Janszoon. Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and New Guinea appear connected to the Australian continent. New Zealand appears as a single landmass. North of New Zealand there is a landmass labelled 'Ter d' St. Esprit' which probably represents the New Hebrides Islands. This map precedes the accurate exploration of the South Pacific and east coast of Australia by Captain James Cook later in the 18th century. The map includes ‘Drakes' Port,' the site where Sir Francis Drake supposedly landed in 1579 during his 1579 circumnavigation of the globe. Here he claimed territory for England, restocked, and repaired his vessels. Drake named the region New Albion. The exact location of Drake's Port is a cartographic mystery. Drake's Harbor is believed to be in the region of San Francisco Bay, Bodega Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Pt. Reyes, but the definitive identification of the site was lost when the record and journals of Drake’s voyage were destroyed in the 1698 Whitehall Palace fire in London, where they were housed.
"A New & Correct Chart of All The Known World Laid down according to Mercator's Projection" is an important example of the development of cartography and the use of maps for navigation and exploration during the Age of Exploration. It is also interesting for all of it’s misconceptions of much of the world resulting from the limited explorations that had taken place in the early part of the “Golden Age of Discovery”.
This striking and beautifully hand-colored original 18th century map is printed on laid chain-linked paper with wide margins and a watermark. The sheet measures 15.75" high and 19.63" wide. There is a vertical center fold, as issued. There are reinforced losses the upper edge centrally and the lower edge on the left, as well as two reinforced tears of the left margin and one of the right margin and a short tear in the upper margin on the right, and blunting of the right lower corner. There is a pinhole collector's stamp from The Mechanic's Institute, San Francisco, which is only visible with back illumination. Other than the issues predominantly in the margins described above, the map is in very good condition. See less