Theme

Business, Trade, and Economic History

Featured Items

Detail of an engraved, colored map of Jamaica shows Kingston Harbor outlined in a greenish blue color and St. Andrew. Other surrounding locations labeled in English.

To the King's most excellent Majesty, this map of the Island of Jamaica...

James Robertson
1804
Detail from book cover shows flower pattern with red details.

Descripçaõ da arvore assucareira

Hipolito Jose da Costa
1800
Detail from an engraved, hand colored map shows vivid illustrations of celestial sphere with their constellations and zodiac signs around the sun. Labels in Dutch read "Taurus," "Orion," and "Saittarius."

The sea-atlas or the watter-world

Hendrick Doncker
1626-1699
Detail of two books shows brown leather binding and spine labels "1" and "2" and the shortened title.

Histoire philosophique et politique, des établissemens & du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes.

Guillaume Thomas Francois Raynal
1770
Detail from book cover shows dark brown binding with a missing piece in the front and worn sides.

The Secretary's guide, or, Young mans companion

William Bradford
1728
stained title page of a printed pamphlet with a blue cover

Calendrier pour l’année 1807

1806-1807
Detail of a printed book shows a circular illustration and text in Spanish.

Suma de geographia...

Martin Fernandez de Enciso
1546
Detail of a printed book shows a page with text in Dutch.

Pertinent en waarachtig verhaal van alle de handelingen en directie van Pedro Van Belle

1689

Related

Image of Guaman Poma de Ayala scribe
New Acquisitions

Recent Acquisition on Commercial Bureaucracy in the Spanish Empire

June 29
text and diagrams related to early printing

The Illustrated Colonial Printer: An Exhibition to Accompany The Colonial Printer by Lawrence Wroth

Winter 2012
handwriting sample with scrawls in the shape of a bird

Mind Your Business: Records of Early American Commerce at the John Carter Brown Library

Fall 2012
A view of the Strait of Magellan from the Agnese Atlas

Gateway to a New World

July-October 2019
worn, yellow-tinted pages of a 19th century almanac
New Acquisitions

An almanac well-worn through regular use

July 27
photograph of dr. Christy clark-pujara at the John Carter brown library during a presentation

Watch "Dark Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island"

May 1
photograph of elizabeth heath, assistant professor of history at Baruch College-CUNY

Elizabeth Heath Creates Digital Map to Explore Colonial France

May 1
Fresh Ink

Fresh Ink: Spanish Dollars and Sister Republics by Tatiana Seijas

May 1

See Also

Slavery and the Slave Trade

America