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1814 Thomson Map of India w/ Ganges
1814 (dated) $550.00
1814 Thomson Map of India w/ Ganges
Hindoostan-thomson-1817
Title
1817 (undated) 19 x 25 in (48.26 x 63.5 cm) 1 : 6500000
Description
A Closer Look
It depicts the whole of India from Lahore to the idle of Ceylon (Shi Lanka). Numerous cities, towns, rivers, mountains, and beautifully depicted deserts appear throughout. The right side of the map, engraved and printed from a separate plate, is dedicated to a highly detailed mapping of the Ganges River. It includes a cross-section of the Ganges, a map of the course of the Ganges in the dry season, and a map of the Inland Navigations routes along the river from the Bay of Bengal to Allahabad.Publication History and Census
This map was prepared and engraved in 1814 in Edinburgh by J. and G. Menzies for inclusion in the 1817 first edition of John Thomson's New General Atlas.Cartographer
John Thomson (1777 - c. 1841) was a Scottish cartographer, publisher, and bookbinder active in Edinburgh during the early part of the 19th century. Thomson apprenticed under Edinburgh bookbinder Robert Alison. After his apprenticeship, he briefly went into business with Abraham Thomson. Later, the two parted ways, John Thomson segueing into maps and Abraham Thomson taking over the bookbinding portion of the business. Thomson is generally one of the leading publishers in the Edinburgh school of cartography, which flourished from roughly 1800 to 1830. Thomson and his contemporaries (Pinkerton and Cary) redefined European cartography by abandoning typical 18th-century decorative elements such as elaborate title cartouches and fantastic beasts in favor of detail and accuracy. Thomson's principle works include Thomson's New General Atlas, published from 1814 to 1821, the New Classical and Historical Atlas of 1829, and his 1830 Atlas of Scotland. The Atlas of Scotland, a work of groundbreaking detail and dedication, would eventually bankrupt the Thomson firm in 1830, at which time their plates were sequestered by the court. The firm partially recovered in the subsequent year, allowing Thomson to reclaim his printing plates in 1831, but filed again for bankruptcy in 1835, at which time most of his printing plates were sold to A. K. Johnston and Company. There is some suggestion that he continued to work as a bookbinder until 1841. Today, Thomson maps are becoming increasingly rare as they are highly admired for their impressive size, vivid hand coloration, and superb detail. More by this mapmaker...