{"title":"The Most Important Map in American History","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvery map in this collection traces a single question: how America came to understand — and claim — itself on paper.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe centerpiece is John Mitchell's 1755 \u003cem\u003eMap of the British and French Dominions in North America\u003c\/em\u003e, called by the Library of Congress's own head of maps \"the most important map in American history.\" Its use by the negotiators of the 1783 Treaty of Paris — the document that ended the Revolution and secured British recognition of American sovereignty — has kept it at the center of the American story for over two centuries, from the halls of the U.S. Capitol to a 1980 U.S.–Canada fisheries dispute. Arader holds two examples: a rare first issue of the first edition (1755) and a second issue of the third edition (probably 1774), the latter with contemporary hand color and provenance from the Boothby Baronets.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAround Mitchell's map, this collection assembles the maps that led to it and the ones that followed:\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003ePedro de Medina's 1545 \u003cem\u003eNuevo Mundo\u003c\/em\u003e woodcut, one of the earliest and rarest printed views of the Americas\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eSamuel de Champlain's 1613 map of New France, drawn from the cartographer's own voyages\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eHenry Popple's 1733 \u003cem\u003eMap of the British Empire in America\u003c\/em\u003e, the first dedicated map of the Thirteen Colonies and the map that set the stage for the imperial rivalries Mitchell's map would later help resolve\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFrancis Daniel Pastorius's ca. 1690 manuscript plan of Germantown, Pennsylvania — the first site of German, Swiss, and Dutch immigration in America, laid out just six miles from Philadelphia\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eTogether, these maps chart the two and a half centuries in which Europeans transformed an unknown continent into a claimed one — and in which that claim, encoded in ink and copperplate, was eventually turned into the instrument of America's independence.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"popple-henry-d-1743-map-of-the-british-empire-in-america-with-the-french-and-spanish-settlements-adjacent-thereto-london-sold-by-s-harding-and-wh-toms-1733-but-1739-1740","title":"Henry Popple. Map of the British Empire in America. 1740.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePOPPLE, Henry  (d. 1743). Map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish Settlements adjacent Thereto. London: sold by S. Harding and W.H. Toms, 1733 [but 1739-1740].\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFolio (21 4\/8 x 15 4\/8 inches). Original RARE letterpress contents leaf (Brabinski State 1, with incorrect enumeration of sheet 13 as XII) laid-down on the front paste-down. Fine engraved folding \"key\" map with original hand-colour in full (to neat line: 19 6\/8 x 19 1\/8 inches; Brabinski State 3), 15 exceptionally fine engraved double page and 5 single page sheet maps by William Henry Toms. Expertly bound to style in 18th-century diced half Russia over contemporary marbled paper-covered boards, the spine in seven compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering-piece in one; modern black morocco backed cloth clamshell box.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA FINE COPY OF THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE PRINTED MAP OF COLONIAL NORTH AMERICA, THE FIRST PRINTED MAP TO SHOW THE THIRTEEN COLONIES AND A MONUMENT OF NORTH AMERICAN CARTOGRAPHY.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBabinski's State 7, after August 1739, when Toms and Samuel Harding took over publishing the map from Popple. This is the first issue to be published by them, and differs only from the previous issue by the addition of their imprint on sheet 17, and the price: Popple had sold his issues at 4 Guineas (4 pounds, 4 shillings), Toms and Harding reduced it to a more affordable 1 pound, 16 shillings and 6 Pennies. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHenry Popple's Map of the British Empire in America marks the beginning of a new epoch in the mapping of America, and was the first in a series of maps published up to the 1760s that would catapult England to the forefront in the study of the geography of the continent. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCommissioned by the Lord Commissioner of Trade and Plantation, it was intended as a tool for mediating disputes arising from the competing claims of English, French and Spanish colonists. In the years when this map was made, territorial disputes demanded current and precise geographical knowledge, and copies of Popple's map were sent to the governors of each English colony for official use. The map illustrates the growth of knowledge about the interior of the American Northeast, and there is much information regarding settlements and natives in the areas of the Great Lakes. Popple's map is a compilation of French and English sources, primarily Guillaume Delisle's \"Carte du Canada\" 1703 and \"Carte de la Louisiana et Cours du Mississippi\" 1718; , as well as the maps of Herman Moll. The most valuable contribution is in the area of the American Southeast, where the map incorporates information from the highly important survey by Colonel John Barnwell, circa 1722, which was the first detailed English map of the southern frontier. Information for the printed map was compiled at least as early as 1727, a date that appears on a signed manuscript draft by Popple now in the British Museum, although the actual draftsman of the final map was Clement Lempriere, an English military cartographer who worked in the Corps of Engineers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf the four inset views, two are of special note. The first, of New York City, is an early copy of William Burgis's \"South Prospect of the Flourishing City of New York,\" circa 1720. A second perspective view, of Quebec, is based on the manuscripts of Franquelin Joliet, which were previously published in French maps by De Fer and Châtelain. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeventeen detailed charts depict major islands and ports on the American coast and in the Caribbean. Boston, New York and Charleston are included, the latter based on the important inset to Edward Crisp's map of 1711. Numerous legends note historical and topographical features, including the route of Spanish fleet through the Bahama Channel and a vignette depicting the engagement of Sir Charles Wagner against the Spanish off Cartagena.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrabinski's State 3 of the \"key\" map was published circa 1740 and probably printed for only a few months before being replaced by State 4 in which the track of Spanish Galleons has been added. It is the rarest of the Popple \"key\" maps with the exception of the ones published by Steel during the American Revolution (in which the dedication has been changed from Queen to King). This State 3 \"key\" map has an interesting history and was probably published as the result of and a response to sarcastic comments in London papers by George Foster, who published a competing \"Seat of War in the West Indies\" map in 1740. Foster compared his map with Brabinski's State 2 of what he called Popple's \"Miniature Map\" in an advertisments published in the February 22, 1740 issue of \"The Daily Post\" - disparaging the \"key\" map for not showing \"Cumana, the Caraccas, Coro, Rio de la Hecha, Sancta Martha, Cartago, the Logwood Creeks,\" etc which appeared on Foster's smaller map. As a result Toms added a number of new place-names on this Branbinski's State 3 map. References: Seymour I. Schwartz \u0026amp; Ralph E. Ehrenberg, The Mapping of America (New York, 1980), 151-152; Mark Babinski, Henry Popple's 1733 Map of The British Empire in North America (Garwood, NJ, 1998); M.B. Pritchard and H.M. Taliaferro, Degrees of Latitude: Mapping Colonial America (Williamsburg, 2002), 134-41. \u003cspan\u003eCatalogued by Kate Hunter\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31146871947308,"sku":"","price":255000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/popple_1.jpg?v=1638394088"},{"product_id":"mitchell-john-1711-1768-a-map-of-the-british-and-french-dominions-in-north-america-london-publishd-by-the-author-febry-13th-1755-and-sold-by-and-miller-opposite-katherine-street-in-the-strand","title":"MITCHELL, John (1711-1768).  A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. [London:] Publish'd by the Author Feb.ry 13th. 1755","description":"\u003cp\u003eMITCHELL, John (1711-1768).  A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. [London:] Publish'd by the Author Feb.ry 13th. 1755, and Sold by And: Miller opposite Katherine Street in the Strand\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e8 EXCEPTIONALLY FINE SHEETS, each separately float-mounted and framed (each sheet size: 26 x 18 4\/8 inches; each framed size: 31 x 23 inches). A MONUMENTAL engraved map of North America, by Thomas Kitchen after Mitchell, the title within a magnificent asymmetrical allegorical cartouche lower right, with original hand colour in outline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVERY RARE FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, with the imprint reading 'Publish'd by the Author Feb.ry 13th. 1755, and Sold by And: Miller opposite Katherine Street in the Strand'. The primary political treaty map in American history. 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. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the middle years of the eighteenth century, numerous maps were created as tensions over dominance in North America were leading up to the French and Indian War. \"During those years, British and French cartographers were each claiming large, overlapping territories for their respective colonies in America. Cartographic warfare reached its peak in 1755, when several of the most enduring maps of North America were published. It was during 'the year of the great maps' that Dr. John Mitchell published his \"Map of the British and French Dominions in North America\" ... the next year, Britain was fighting a war with France that many historians consider to be the most decisive in history. At the conclusion of the French and Indian War in 1763, France surrendered more territory to the British than has changed hands in any other conflict before or since... For five years, Dr. Mitchell collected every available scrap of geographical information to create the most comprehensive and up-to-date colonial map of North America. He sought out so many geographers and historians that he told Cadwallader Colden 'there are none I believe but what I have consulted'. Some of his other resources were the many printed maps available in the 1740s and 1750s; through the good offices of his friend George Montague Dunk, Earl of Halifax, he was given access to the repository of official manuscript maps and geographical materials on file in the archives of the Board of Trade in London. The resulting map, dedicated to Dunk, is so detailed and accurate that it has been used to resolve border disputes in the twentieth century. Nevertheless its original concern was the division of North America between the British and the French.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"On the western extremities of the map, Mitchell cites charters dated May 23, 1609, and November 3, 1620, that stated that the western boundaries of Virginia and New England stretched 'from Sea to Sea, out of which our other colonies were granted'. In these few words, Mitchell cavalierly claimed for the British all of the vast, unexplored lands in North America reaching to the Pacific Ocean\" (Cohen \"Mapping the West\" pages 59-60). Pritchard \u0026amp; Taliaferro, Degrees of Latitude 21; Stevens \u0026amp; Tree 54.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e72map257\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31146872045612,"sku":"SQ7240176","price":450000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/all_dd546df4-9caf-44f5-81db-498e4e5b105b.jpg?v=1574696762"},{"product_id":"mitchell-john-1711-1768-a-map-of-the-british-and-french-dominions-in-north-america","title":"MITCHELL, John (1711-1768). A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America.","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMITCHELL, John (1711-1768). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCopperplate engraving with original hand color. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLondon, 1755. In 24 segments and mounted on Linen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFramed Dimensions: 62 3\/4 x 85 1\/4 INCHES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eTHE MOST IMPORTANT MAP IN AMERICAN HISTORY\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThe Mitchell map of North America was one of the most accurate of its day, fusing up-to-date information of both British and French sources with the mapmaker’s own research in the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie areas. It was at the request of Lord Halifax and the Board of Trade that he made the famous map, one of the period’s outstanding cartographic achievements. Considered by many to be the most important map in American history, Mitchell’s map was the one upon which the boundaries of the new United States first appeared. The year 1755, upon the eve of the French and Indian war, was \"the year of the great maps,\" and one scholar writes that \"the greatest of these is unquestionably\" the Mitchell map. The treaty of 1783 was based on Mitchell’s map, as was the border between the United States and Canada.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eAn American physician, chemist, biologist, and botanist of considerable note, Mitchell emigrated to England in 1746. 21 editions of his enormously influential map followed over the next 25 years, and it was consulted by subsequent cartographers for decades, helping also to determine territorial disputes into the 20th century. Mitchell relied heavily on maps of New France by prominent French cartographers Jean-Jacques Bellin and Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon D'Anville. A testament to its popularity, the map was released in over 20 states between 1755 and 1791 and was published in a number of languages. The primary purpose of this ambitious cartographic undertaking was to justify British claims in North America; the final version was sanctioned by the British Board for Trade and Plantations in London.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThis map continued to be used to clarify boundary disputes in both the United States and the British empire throughout the nineteenth century and as recently as 1932. It has been used to settle issues in the British House of Commons, the Dutch Royal Court, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of the United States. It is also known to have hung in the halls of of Congress. This particular example is in excellent condition, and is a third edition of this seminal map. Rightly considered one of the foremost maps in American history, Mitchell’s Map of the British and French Dominions in North America represents a landmark opportunity for collectors.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arader Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31298302214188,"sku":"","price":575000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/Mitchell_A_map_of_the_British_and_French_dominions_in_North_America_Edited.jpg?v=1576361431"},{"product_id":"pedro-de-medina-1493-1567-nuevo-mundo-from-arte-de-navegar-valladolid-1545","title":"Pedro de Medina (1493-1567)  Nuevo Mundo From:  Arte de Navegar  Valladolid, 1545","description":"\u003cp\u003ePedro de Medina (1493-1567)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNuevo Mundo\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom: Arte de Navegar\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eValladolid, 1545\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWoodblock Print\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaper Size:5 3\/4” x 9 9\/16”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Among all arts navigation is the most accomplished one, for not only does it draw from each of them, it also contains, by itself, its most important disciplines: arithmetic, geometry, \u0026amp; astrology.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prologue of Pedro de Medina’s groundbreaking “Arte de Navegar” (1545) reveals the work’s Medieval heritage, as the quadrivium - the university curriculum of arts - unmistakably locates navigation within its mathematical system of knowledge. Navigation, as Pedro de Medina suggests, builds on the illustration of the world guided by principles of certainty. At the same time, he refers to Ptolemy and proves himself at a transitional moment of cartography and the Renaissance in general. The present map of the New World is thus a particularly rare and precious testament to both the socio-political and artistic history of the 16th century. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaken from the third book of his monumental treatise on navigation, the present map of the New World or “Nuevo Mundo” is the first known depiction of the so-called Tordesillas Meridian bisecting the Americas West of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands. The Treaty of Tordesillas was based on the bull “Inter Caetera” (1493) in which the Aragonese Alexander VI decreed a Papal Demarcation Line in 1493; it was meant to divide the trading and colonizing rights of the New World between the Spanish Crown and Portugal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map is also remarkable for its geographical accuracy. Pedro de Medina had travelled with Hernando Cortéz and, upon his return to Spain, was responsible for debriefing ship crews. He thus relied on authentic source material and the mention of Florida is one of the earliest in contemporary map publishing. Similarly, “Nuevo Mundo” is the first map to include the Rio Spiritu Santo in Texas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe its most astonishing feature are the ships grouped around the central compass rose. As a motive they derive from early cartographers’ depiction of vessels and sea monsters to characterize the oceans. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears that they are organized according to what art historians know as simultaneity. The trading ship, departing from Spain, follows the circular movement of the Gulf Stream to reach the Americas; it then takes a Northern route back to Europe. Pedro de Medina utilizes narrative strategies commonly associated with painting to prove a surprising interest in the Stream and its impact on travel routes. The author thus illustrates the practical qualities of sea charts as presented at the beginning of Chapter 7 on the map’s verso.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe verso includes a woodblock printed diagram and lists the most important elements of sea charts, including the compass rose and rhumblines. “Nuevo Mundo” can thus be seen as an ideal chart which, in addition to its historical and cartographic merits, introduces a subtle use of imagery and narrative strategies commonly associated with fine arts. Its main purpose, however, remains that of navigational practicality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present map represents the first state with 16 rhumblines. It can be dated 1545, whereas at least two other states are known from editions dating 1548 and 1552 respectively. It is a single-sheet map in excellent condition. Foxing is very limited and clean tears along the margins minimal. The press crease is visible in the gutter margin.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32142410514476,"sku":null,"price":140000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/Nuevo_Mundo.jpg?v=1581443247"},{"product_id":"champlain-samuel-de-c-1567-1635-carte-de-la-nouvelle-france-from-les-voyages-de-la-nouvelle-france-occidentale-dicte-canada-paris-1632","title":"CHAMPLAIN, Samuel de (c. 1567-1635). Carte de la nouvelle France\" from Les Voyages de la Nouvelle France Occidentale, dicte Canada. Paris: 1632.","description":"\u003cp\u003eCHAMPLAIN, Samuel de (c. 1567-1635). Carte de la nouvelle France\" from Les Voyages de la Nouvelle France Occidentale, dicte Canada. Paris: 1632.Copper-plate engraving on two sheets (20 ½ x 34 in.; 52 x 86.3 cm.).CHAMPLAIN'S FINAL MAP OF NEW FRANCE AND A LANDMARK IN THE MAPPINGOF THE GREAT LAKES, NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA. Like his map of 1613, it was published to accompany an account of Champlain's voyages in New France - in this case the most complete version, detailing his discoveries through 1629. It is extremely rare. This map is of signal importance not only for the comprehensive summary it provides of French knowledge of Acadia and the St. Lawrence valley at the time, but above all because of its representation of the Great Lakes. For the first time all of them except Lake Michigan appear. \"Lac St. Louis\" is Lake Ontario, leading up to \"a fall of water at the end of the Falls of St. Louis, very high, where many kinds of fish are stunned in descending\". A rudimentary Lake Erie is followed by a more recognizable \"Mer douce,\" now known as Lake Huron, the “freshwater sea.\" \"Grand Lac,\" Lake Superior, which Champlain never actually saw, is here depicted for the first time in recognizable form on a map. The map contains far greater detail and spans a much greater area than any of Champlain's earlier attempts, extending as far south as the Virginia colonies. The Hudson River appears as the \"Riviere des trettes,\" and Long Island is “Isle de l'Ascension.\" An illustration of a church serves to indicate the Dutch presence in the region, and is considered the first delineation of present-day New York City on a printed map. Oddly, perhaps, there is no reference to the English in New England (perhaps Champlain thought his map would better express French domination of the region if he avoided acknowledging the British stronghold in the area). Champlain depicts a huge sea to the north that forms part of the hypothetical Northwest Passage, and with the coat of arms of Louis XIII he lays French claim to the vast expanse of northern Canada. \"Carte de la Nouvelle France,\" like Champlain's map of1613, provided invaluable knowledge about unknown areas, and remains a cornerstone document in American and Canadian cartography. REFERENCES: Conrad E. Heidenreich \u0026amp; Edward H. Dahl, \"The French Mapping of North America in the Seventeenth Century,\" The Map Collector (June, 1982): 5; Philip D. Burden, The Mapping of North America: A List of Printed Maps 1511-1670 (Rickmansworth, 1996), 294-295. Bookseller Inventory # 000481Price: $750,000.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":33083943714860,"sku":null,"price":90000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/CHAMPLAIN_20Samuel_20de_20_c._201567-1635_._20Carte_20de_20la_20nouvelle_20France_20from_20Les_06be6686-65a4-4f61-af77-4c18eb9eb7a8.jpg?v=1585166259"},{"product_id":"mitchell-john-1711-1768-a-map-of-the-british-and-french-dominions-in-north-america-london-printed-for-jefferys-and-faden-ca-1773","title":"MITCHELL, John (1711-1768). A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. London: Printed for Jefferys and Faden, [ca. 1773].","description":"\u003cp\u003eMITCHELL, John (1711-1768). A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. London: Printed for Jefferys and Faden, [ca. 1773].  Fine engraved wall map (53 ½ x 77 in.; 136 x 195 cm.) in 24 sections and laid down on  cartographic linen and edged in green silk ribbon, of North America, the title within an elaborate  allegorical cartouche lower right, with contemporary hand coloring in part (light toning, edges a  bit frayed in one or two places). Original marbled paper slipcase, with manuscript paper label on the front cover (worn with loss to the top and sides). Provenance: Charles J. Tanenbaum, his sale, Sotheby’s December 11th, 2008, lot 17 Third edition, first printed in 1755, and the primary political treaty map in American history. 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. 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. During the middle years of the eighteenth century, numerous maps were created as tensions over dominance in North America were leading up to the French and Indian War.  \"During those years, British and French cartographers were each claiming large, overlapping territories for their respective colonies in America. Cartographic warfare reached its peak in 1755, when several of the most enduring maps of North America were published. It was during ‘the year of the great maps' that Dr. John Mitchell published his \"Map of the British and French Dominions in North America”. the next year, Britain was fighting a war with France that many historians consider to be the most decisive in history. At the conclusion of the French and Indian War in 1763, France surrendered more territory to the British than has changed hands in any other conflict before or since. For five years, Dr. Mitchell collected every available scrap of geographical information to create the most comprehensive and up-to-date colonial map of North America. He sought out so many geographers and historians that he told Cadwallader Colden ‘there are none I believe but what I have consulted'. Some of his other resources were the many  printed maps available in the 1740s and 1750s; through the good offices of his friend George  Montague Dunk, Earl of Halifax, he was given access to the repository of official manuscript  maps and geographical materials on file in the archives of the Board of Trade in London. The resulting map, dedicated to Dunk, is so detailed and accurate that it has been used to resolve border disputes in the twentieth century. Nevertheless, its original concern was the division of North America between the British and the French. \"On the western extremities of the map,  Mitchell cites charters dated May 23, 1609, and November 3, 1620, that stated that the western  boundaries of Virginia and New England stretched 'from Sea to Sea, out of which our other  colonies were granted'. In these few words, Mitchell cavalierly claimed for the British all of the vast, unexplored lands in North America reaching to the Pacific Ocean\" (Cohen \"Mapping the West\" pages 59-60). Pritchard \u0026amp; Taliaferro, Degrees of Latitude 21 (state 5); Stevens \u0026amp; Tree 54d. Bookseller Inventory # 1016mb10 Price: $1,500,000.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":33083958067244,"sku":"","price":1500000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/MITCHELL_20John_20_1711-1768_._20A_20Map_20of_20the_20British_20and_20French_20Dominions_20in_20North_c1d2d428-13c4-434e-bdd4-3102aa6e5a22.jpg?v=1585166292"},{"product_id":"popple-henry-d-1743-map-of-the-british-empire-in-america-with-the-french-and-spanish-settlements-adjacent-thereto-london-henry-popple-1733","title":"POPPLE, Henry (d. 1743). Map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish Settlements adjacent Thereto. London: Henry Popple, 1733.","description":"\u003cp\u003ePOPPLE, Henry (d. 1743). Map of the British Empire in America with the French and  Spanish Settlements adjacent Thereto. London: Henry Popple, 1733.  Folio. Original RARE letterpress contents leaf (Babinski State 1, with incorrect enumeration of  sheet 13 as XII) laid-down on the front paste-down. Fine engraved double-page \"key\" map with  original hand-colour in outline and mounted on guard (to neat line: 19 ¾ x 19 ⅛ in.; 50.1 x 48.5  cm..; (Brabinski State 1, circa 1734\/35), 15 exceptionally fine engraved double page and 5 single  page sheet maps by William Henry Toms. Modern quarter calf over contemporary marbled  boards; extremities worn, surface tears and stains.  THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE PRINTED MAP OF COLONIAL NORTH AMERICA Henry  Popple's Map of the British Empire in America marks the beginning of a new epoch in the  mapping of America, and was the first in a series of maps published up to the 1760s that would  catapult England to the forefront in the study of the geography of the continent. Commissioned  by the Lord Commissioner of Trade and Plantation, it was intended as a tool for mediating  disputes arising from the competing claims of English, French and Spanish colonists. In the years  when this map was made, territorial disputes demanded current and precise geographical  knowledge, and copies of Popple's map were sent to the governors of each English colony for  official use. The map illustrates the growth of knowledge about the interior of the American  Northeast, and there is much information regarding settlements and natives in the areas of the  Great Lakes. Popple's map is a compilation of French and English sources, primarily Guillaume  Delisle's \"Carte du Canada\" 1703 and \"Carte de la Louisiana et Cours du Mississippi\" 1718; as  well as the maps of Herman Moll. The most valuable contribution is in the area of the American  Southeast, where the map incorporates information from the highly important survey by Colonel  John Barnwell, circa 1722, which was the first detailed English map of the southern frontier.  Information for the printed map was compiled at least as early as 1727, a date that appears on a  signed manuscript draft by Popple now in the British Museum, although the actual draftsman of  the final map was Clement Lempriere, an English military cartographer who worked in the Corps  of Engineers. Of the four inset views, two are of special note. The first, of New York City, is an  early copy of William Burgis's \"South Prospect of the Flourishing City of New York,\" circa  1720. A second perspective view, of Quebec, is based on the manuscripts of Franquelin Joliet,  which were previously published in French maps by De Fer and Châtelain. Seventeen detailed  charts depict major islands and ports on the American coast and in the Caribbean. Boston, New  York and Charleston are included, the latter based on the important inset to Edward Crisp's map  of 1711. Numerous legends note historical and topographical features, including the route of  Spanish fleet through the Bahama Channel and a vignette depicting the engagement of Sir  Charles Wagner against the Spanish off Cartagena.  Originally advertised for  issue by subscription as  early as 1731, Popple's  map was not published  until December of 1733  and made poor sales,  largely because of the  exorbitant price of 4  pounds and 4 shillings,  and only 16 copies of this  issue are located in  institutions worldwide, as  opposed to 35 copies of  the later Toms and  Harding issue of August  1739 with a cheaper price  of 1 pound, 11 shillings  and 6 pence, after which  the contents leaf and the  \"key\" map were altered.  Babinski's State 6 circa  1735, still sold by Henry Popple (Babinski, p.11) with engraved sheet numbers added in the  upper right corners of each sheet distinguishing it from the preceding State 5; also lacking, as  called for, the Toms \u0026amp; Harding proprietors imprint with detailed pricing below the bottom  border on sheet 17. The \"key\" map was not available until after the earliest issues of the map,  having been engraved as a direct response to the difficulties faced by clients in assembling the  unnumbered sheets. Bookseller Inventory # 001861  Price: $1,800,000.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":33083964063788,"sku":null,"price":250000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/POPPLE_20Henry_20_d._201743_._20Map_20of_20the_20British_20Empire_20in_20America_20with_20the_20French_20and_05f8cb5a-a904-4591-a9d6-c7af58decde1.jpg?v=1585166309"},{"product_id":"mitchell-john-1711-1768-a-map-of-the-british-and-french-dominions-in-north-america-1755","title":"MITCHELL, John (1711-1768)  A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America…1755","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMITCHELL, John (1711-1768)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA Map of the British and French Dominions in North America…\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCopperplate engraving with original hand color\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLondon, 1755 (Third edition, first impression)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 24 segments and mounted on linen, 53 x 77 inch total sheet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e$700,000\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMitchell's monumental map both depicted and influenced the shaping of North America from the French and Indian War through American independence. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDuring the first half of the 18th Century France's conflict with England east of the Mississippi escalated rapidly.  Maps like De L'Isle's 1718 map, and counter arguments by English mapmakers like Herman Moll, added to the tension.  In 1756 war between the two nations broke out.  The Seven Years War, called the French and Indian War in America, was global but the real prize was the Ohio Valley and the lands to the west of the Appalachians.  The essentials of the conflict are seen in two editions of what has been called the \"Most Important Map in American History,\" John Mitchell's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMap of the British and French Dominions in North America.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe first edition of Mitchell's map was published in London in 1755, on the eve of the war.  The map graphically presented the threat England perceived from French activity in the fertile lands between the mountains and the Mississippi.  One subtle way Mitchell did this was to extend the name of French \"Louisiana\" east across the Mississippi, a geopolitical statement unlikely to be missed by his English audience. Echoing De L'Isle's technique four decades earlier, Mitchell bolstered his case for English ownership by identifying the valuable resources that lay in the disputed territories (\"a country full of mines\" for example) and by including historical references supporting England's territorial claims south of Virginia and west of the mountains.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e The map was also filled with the names of over forty native American tribes, with the Iroquois highlighted in large letters across several English colonies.  The “Six Nations” federation was by far the most powerful native tribe east of the Mississippi, and Mitchell’s map recognized their importance in the context of the English and French conflict. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhen war broke out, many of the most powerful native tribes sided with the French.  However, in 1758 a large contingent including many of the Iroquois switched sides in favor of the English.  Seeing the possibility of an English victory, in 1762 France transferred  Louisiana to Spain in order to keep it out of English hands.  A secret treaty permitted France to reacquire the lands if it chose to do so. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe English prevailed in the war, and the Treaty of Paris in 1763 reshaped ownership of the continent.  France lost all of its territorial claims east of the Mississippi.  Spain’s interest in Louisiana west of the Mississippi plus New Orleanswas conceded by the English, but it gave up Florida, which the English divided into two parts: East Florida (east of the Apalachicola  River) and West Florida, which included Spanish Florida west of the river plus some parts of modern day Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFollowing the British victory, relations between the crown and English colonists in North America deteriorated.  One source was the English King's decree in 1763 prohibiting colonists from acquiring land from the Native American tribes. Although widely ignored, this decree was one reason that the American revolution was led by the colonial elite, who were frustrated in their attempts to expand to the west.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAmerican victory in the revolution was memorialized in the Treaty of Paris of 1783. Britain retained its Canadian possessions but the rest of the continent east of the Mississippi and north of Florida formed the United States.   The treaty was negotiated using the third edition of Mitchell's map, an example of which is in this exhibition. The negotiated border running through the center of Lake Ontario is painted on the map; the line was engraved for the publication of the subsequent edition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDuring the war, Spain had attacked and taken West Florida from the British.  Under the treaty, Spain was given East Florida in return for Britain keeping Gibraltar.  With this acquisition, Spain at least nominally extended its empire from the Pacific Ocean  through New Spain and New Mexico, through Louisiana and into Florida – from coast to coast!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39490545057836,"sku":"","price":750000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/products\/Picture12_80c44984-b737-442a-99b4-ad7b7220f404.jpg?v=1627082407"},{"product_id":"francis-daniel-pastorius-manuscript-plan-germantown-ca-1686-1687","title":"Francis Daniel Pastorius, Manuscript Plan of Germantown, Pennsylvania (ca. 1686–1687)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis manuscript map is the original plan of Germantown, drawn by Francis Daniel Pastorius, founder of the settlement and an early advocate for human rights in colonial North America. Created soon after Germantown’s establishment, it records boundaries, natural features, and early lot divisions, providing a rare, close view of community formation in the late seventeenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work is closely associated with Germantown’s early tradition of ethical reflection, including the 1688 petition that opposed slavery. As an object of documentary and historical importance, it is among the earliest surviving American town plans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMedium:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ink manuscript on paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e ca. 1686–1687\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheet size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 15 11\/16 × 9 15\/16 in\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"124\" data-end=\"225\"\u003eFrancis Daniel Pastorius\u003cbr data-start=\"148\" data-end=\"151\"\u003eManuscript plan of Germantown, Pennsylvania\u003cbr data-start=\"194\" data-end=\"197\"\u003ewith manuscript descriptions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"227\" data-end=\"302\"\u003eTHE ORIGINAL PLAN OF GERMANTOWN\u003cbr data-start=\"258\" data-end=\"261\"\u003eTHE CRADLE OF GERMAN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"304\" data-end=\"398\"\u003eGermantown, Pennsylvania: approximately 1686 to 1687\u003cbr data-start=\"356\" data-end=\"359\"\u003eScale approximately 1 inch to 1000 feet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"400\" data-end=\"515\"\u003eBroadsheet document\u003cbr data-start=\"419\" data-end=\"422\"\u003eSheet size: 15 11\/16 x 9 15\/16 inches, or 399 x 253 mm\u003cbr data-start=\"476\" data-end=\"479\"\u003eFrame size: 20 3\/8 x 14 11\/16 inches\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"517\" data-end=\"667\"\u003eThe map and annotations appear on the front side\u003cbr data-start=\"565\" data-end=\"568\"\u003eA detailed description of the settlement appears on the back side\u003cbr data-start=\"633\" data-end=\"636\"\u003eAll elements are written in ink\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"669\" data-end=\"1079\"\u003eThe document shows three original folds creating eight separate panels. The folds produced some splits and small losses, and careful repairs improved those areas. The paper displays scattered browning and minor bleed through from the ink. Small pinpricks indicate that the sheet was prepared for copying. The sheet is fully matted and framed, and the back side is glazed so the manuscript text remains visible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1081\" data-end=\"1619\"\u003eFranz Daniel Pastorius was born in 1651 in Sommerhausen in the Duchy of Franconia, located within modern Bavaria, Germany. He earned a Doctorate in Law in 1675 and practiced and taught law for several years. In 1680 he traveled abroad, including to England. After returning home in 1682, he learned about the early Christian communities that William Penn established in Pennsylvania. The new colony promised tolerance, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. Pastorius immigrated to the New World and landed there on August 16, 1683.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1621\" data-end=\"2050\"\u003ePastorius quickly formed a strong friendship with William Penn himself. A note written by Pastorius on the right side of the map refers to Springfield, which he identifies as the manor of William Penn. Penn represented the ideal of religious tolerance. Pastorius represented the ideal of opposition to slavery. Together they illuminated the early Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with principles that shaped the future of the region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2052\" data-end=\"2502\"\u003ePastorius purchased land from Penn north northwest of Philadelphia and created Germantown as a planned settlement for German, Dutch, and Swiss immigrants from the Rhine Valley. The town welcomed many Protestant denominations, including Lutheran, Mennonite, Quaker, Pietist, Brethren, and others. In 1688 the Germantown Quakers produced the first organized American petition condemning slavery, known as the Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2504\" data-end=\"2806\"\u003eThe present item is the original manuscript town plan of Germantown drawn in the hand of Pastorius himself. Additional text appears in a second hand, possibly added by a clerk or assistant. The plan ranks among the earliest surviving American town plans and stands as an unparalleled historical source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2808\" data-end=\"3220\"\u003eThe map is oriented with Southwest at the top. It clearly shows the local river system, including the Schuylkill River to the Southeast and its tributaries. It outlines the measured boundaries of the Germantown settlement. Trees of different species mark the corners of the property. Those species include walnut, ash, Spanish oak, and white oak. Roads and internal lot boundaries appear within the plan as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3222\" data-end=\"3649\"\u003eThe lot holders appear by name in the upper right corner. Their names follow the spatial order of the lots. Notes beside each name indicate whether the person lived in Germantown or remained in Europe. Duffin dates the map itself to late 1686 or early 1687 based on the arrival dates of the known settlers. Marginal notes at the bottom record later events in the town, including the election of Pastorius as mayor in July 1688.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3651\" data-end=\"4208\"\u003eThe back side of the sheet contains a 35 line manuscript description headed Situation of Germantownship in Pennsylvania, Six English Miles from Philadelphia. Pastorius originally calculated the size of the township as 5,190 acres. A resurvey conducted from December 29, 1687 into January 1688 increased the total to 5,700 acres. Pastorius describes the location of Germantown in relation to nearby natural landmarks and nearby settlements. He also lists the original landowners, their origins, hereditary rights, and the extent of their individual holdings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4210\" data-end=\"4689\"\u003eThis map belonged to Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker, Governor of Pennsylvania from 1843 to 1916. Pennypacker enthusiastically collected historical Pennsylvania documents. He reproduced the map as illustration 104 in his 1899 book Settlement of Germantown. The reproduction carried the notation From the original in the library of the Author. Later auctions dispersed large portions of his collection between 1905 and 1909. The present item does not appear in those auction catalogs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4691\" data-end=\"4855\"\u003eA note attached to the back of the frame claims that the map was possibly the personal copy of William Penn. That claim remains difficult to assess with confidence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4857\" data-end=\"5008\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eReference\u003cbr data-start=\"4866\" data-end=\"4869\"\u003eJames M. Duffin\u003cbr data-start=\"4884\" data-end=\"4887\"\u003eThe First Map of Germantown, A Neglected Source\u003cbr data-start=\"4934\" data-end=\"4937\"\u003eThe Germantown Crier\u003cbr data-start=\"4957\" data-end=\"4960\"\u003eVolume 44, Number 2\u003cbr data-start=\"4979\" data-end=\"4982\"\u003eFall 1992\u003cbr data-start=\"4991\" data-end=\"4994\"\u003ePages 4 to 17.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Arader Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45159753089068,"sku":null,"price":900000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/files\/Screenshot2025-12-31at2.30.11PM.png?v=1767220258"}],"url":"https:\/\/aradernyc.com\/collections\/the-most-important-map-in-american-history.oembed","provider":"Arader Galleries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}