Subject: Colonial Northeastern United States & Canada, Great Lakes
Period: 1750 (circa)
Publication: Atlante Novissimo...
Color: Hand Color
Size:
16.9 x 13 inches
42.9 x 33 cm
This is the beautifully engraved Italian edition of Delisle's important map of Eastern Canada and New England, including all of the Great Lakes, Labrador, and Hudson Bay. The map features Baron Lahontan's imaginary Longue Riviere, which is shown rising in distant western mountains and emptying into the upper Mississippi River. There is Italian text to the left of the map discussing the Longue Riviere, here called Il Fiume Longo. The Great Lakes are mostly correct, with a few phantom islands persisting in Lake Superior. Locations of numerous forts and Indian tribes are noted throughout the map. It is adorned with a large, pastoral cartouche featuring a strange sea creature resembling a mermaid.
References: Kershaw #342; Mickwitz & Miekkavaara #64-40; Phillips (A) #594-40.
Condition: B+
A nice impression on a bright sheet with the watermark of three crescent moons. There are a couple small holes at left, a printer's crease parallel to the centerfold at bottom, and a centerfold separation that extends to the neatline at bottom.