This influential map shows the Spanish and French possessions in the southern part of the United States. The map extends from the southernmost part of Virginia to the coast of what is now Texas. When first introduced by Sanson in 1657, this map was the first to use the name L. Erie in an atlas and to introduce several new rivers in Virginia. The French claims in the Carolinas are reasserted with the region named Floride Francoise, despite the region not having had any French presence for nearly 100 years. The place name Caroline is not related to the future English colony of Carolina. Instead it is a confusion between the French Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River, and Charlefort that was located near Port Royal. This is the first state as defined by Burden.

Sanson's small maps from his L'Amerique en Plusieurs Cartes..., first published in 1656 and engraved by A. Peyrounin, were copied several times by various map publishers. Johann David Zunners made copies of Sanson's maps for his German translation of Die Gantze Erd-Kugel in 1679. Johannes Ribbius and Simon de Vries published copies in 1682 and 1683, with new maps engraved by Antoine d'Winter. The plates were later sold to Francois Halma, who used them in 1699 and then again in 1705 with the titles re-engraved in Dutch. The titles on the d'Winter plates were re-engraved back into French, and then used by Nicholas Chemereau in 1715 and by Henri du Sauzet in 1738.

References: Burden #546; Cumming (SE) #53; Pastoureau, SANSON II F bis.

Condition: A

A crisp impression with light toning that is mostly confined to the top blank margin and a small worm hole in the right blank margin. There are dark stains at far right and left, well away from the image.