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Cartography

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Detail of an engraved map of Virginia and Maryland shows "Baltemore county," a compass rose, and labels in English.

Virginia and Maryland As it is planted and Inhabited this present Year 1670

Augustine Herrman
1673
Detail of a manuscript, hand-colored map depicting the Great Lakes, scattered trees depicted on surrounding land, and text in French.

Nouvelle Découverte de plusieurs Nations Dans la Nouvelle France en l'année 1673 et 1674

Louis Joliet
1673-1674
Detail of an engraved map of northeastern North America shows "Maryland," "Virginia," and other labels in English for forts and bodies of water.

[A new chart of the English Empire in North America]

Cyprian Southack
1717
Detail of a hand colored printed map shows text in French reading "Terre-Neuve," latitude and longitude lines, and labels over other geographical areas.

Carte reduite des bancs et de l'Ile de Terre-Neuve avec les cotes du Golf de St. Laurent et de l'Acadie

[Depot de la Marine]
1784
Detail of a hand colored manuscript map shows villages labeled in Spanish such as "Pueblo de S. Pablo" and "Pueblo de Huitziltzinco." Churches, trees, and bodies of water are also included in the map.

El presente mapa demuestra la cituacion, plano, y repartimiento, que en la actualidad tienen los arroyos, que bajan de Sierra Nevada…

Felipe de Zúñiga y Ontiveros
1770
Detail from a colored manuscript map shows the world labeled with text in Latin.

De geometriae principiis ad sphaerae astronomicae noticiam neces sariis. caput primum…

Glareanus
1513
Detail of a printed map shows decorative elements such a sun, a person carrying arrows, ships and fish at sea, a scale, and a key with text in French at the bottom of the map.

Carte geographique de la Nouvelle France

Samuel de Champlain
1612
Detail of an engraved city plan of Queretaro shows numbered blocks in the city layout.

Ordenanza que para la division de la m. noble y leal ciudad de Santiago de Queretaro en cuarteles menores, creacion de alcaldes de ellos, y reglas para su gobierno.

1796

Related

Cartouche of the map “La Louisiane…”  made in 1695 by Vincenzo Coronelli
Collections Up Close

Vincenzo Coronelli, “Partie occidentale du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France…” Paris : Chez J.B. Nolin, 1688

June 30, 2021
A map showing the strait of Magellan
Fellow's Talk

The Strait of Magellan and the Construction of a Global habitability. Geopolitics and cosmography in the 16th century [in Spanish]

Image of Guaxtepec (relaciones geograficas)

New Digital Item-of-the-Month series begins this week

October 5, 2020
engraved map of the island of Hispaniola with present-day Haiti and Santo Domingo, including sea monsters, ships, and a compass
Collections Up Close

L'isole piu famose del mondo…, 1572

February 25, 2020
Plan of the city of Cartagena in present-day Colombia with decorative cartouche and other decorative elements
Collections Up Close

Civitas Carthagena in Indiae occidentalis continente sita…, 1588

January 27, 2020
engraved and hand-colored map of northeastern North America including present-day Maine to Virginia
Collections Up Close

Recens Edita totius Novi Belgii, in America Septenrionali…, 1730

November 26, 2019
detail of cartouche of a map of northeastern North America
Lecture

Frames that Speak: An Introduction to Cartographic Cartouches

See Also

Slavery and the Slave Trade

The Arts