Subject: Lisbon, Portugal
Period: 1833 (dated)
Publication:
Color: Hand Color
Size:
15.5 x 12.5 inches
39.4 x 31.8 cm
The beginning of the nineteenth century saw a period of rapid market growth and innovation in the map publishing world. Increased literacy and public interest in new frontiers and colonies overwhelmed the market because it was oriented toward the small, affluent market of the previous century. With the intent to fill this void, The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was founded in 1828 in London, by Lord Brougham and a group of men dedicated to the education of the aspiring working class and the Utilitarian ideal of 'Knowledge is Power.' The society produced an array of education materials, but the series of maps was one of their most successful ventures. A number of engravers and printers were used to produce the maps, which eventually exceed 200 sheets, and continued to be published after the Society as a whole ceased to function.
Striking 19th century plan with a panoramic view of the city titled "Lisbon, from the Quinta da Torrinha Val de Pereiro" filling the bottom. The plan shows the city center enclosed by the walls erected by Dom Fernando in 1375 and the surrounding newer city. Inset of the Environs of Lisbon at top right. Drawn by W. B. Clarke, engraved and printed by J. Henshall, and published by Baldwin and Cradock.
References:
Condition: A
Original color with light toning along sheet edges and a few short, marginal tears that have been closed with archival tape.