- 216
MITCHELL, A MAP OF THE BRITISH AND FRENCH DOMINIONS IN NORTH AMERICA, 1755
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. With the Roads, Distances, limits, and Extent of the Settlements, Humbly Inscribed to the Right Honourable the Earl of Halifax, and other Right Honourable The Lords Commissioners for Trade & Plantations. London: Published by the Author and Sold by Andrew Millar, 1755
FIRST EDITION, SECOND ISSUE (see footnote), large engraved wall-map on 8 sheets joined, totalling 1980 x 1420mm., hand-coloured in outline, joined with linen tape on verso, framed and glazed, minor paper toning (more so on verso), some fraying to edges, 8th sheet with some minor loss to upper edge and lower margin, slight repair and strengthening to joints and margins, light dampstaining at bottom edge
Literature
Cumming, The Exploration of North America, 1630-1776, (1974), 171; Tooley, The Mapping of America, (1988), 54(b)
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
THE PRIMARY POLITICAL TREATY MAP IN AMERICAN HISTORY. This rare map is regarded by many authorities as the most important map in the history of American cartography. Twenty-one editions and impressions of the map appeared between 1755 and 1781. The second issue, with the correct spelling of Andrew Millar's name and street address. This issue also has two towns named "Leicester" and no "Worchester" in the state of Massachusetts, something that was corrected in the third state.
"Mitchell's work is the most important map in North American colonial history. Diplomatically, it was the basis for territorial boundaries drawn in the treaties concluding the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Geographically, it incorporated knowledge derived from the analysis of reports, journals, and maps available in the files of the British Board for Trade and Plantations. Its numerous legends and notes on Indians, settlements, and trails still provide a valuable source for historical and ethnological study".
John Jay used a copy of the third edition during the negotiations of what would become the Treaty of Paris (1783). It continued to be consulted in boundary disputes throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and even into the twentieth. It was used in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, the Quebec boundary definition of 1871, the Canada-Labrador case (1926) and the Delaware-New Jersey dispute (1932), among others.
"Mitchell's work is the most important map in North American colonial history. Diplomatically, it was the basis for territorial boundaries drawn in the treaties concluding the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Geographically, it incorporated knowledge derived from the analysis of reports, journals, and maps available in the files of the British Board for Trade and Plantations. Its numerous legends and notes on Indians, settlements, and trails still provide a valuable source for historical and ethnological study".
John Jay used a copy of the third edition during the negotiations of what would become the Treaty of Paris (1783). It continued to be consulted in boundary disputes throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and even into the twentieth. It was used in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, the Quebec boundary definition of 1871, the Canada-Labrador case (1926) and the Delaware-New Jersey dispute (1932), among others.