1880 Abbé Faure Allegorical Map of the Empire of Vice

This is a rare c. 1880 broadside allegorical map of Vice made by the French Catholic curate Abbé Faure. The image reflects the tensions facing French Catholicism, which was undergoing a transformation and gradual decline, caught between the legacy of tradition and the emergence of a secular Republican state.

The Empire of Vice

The map presents an allegorical land separated into La Société and the L'Empire du Vice. The Empire is separated from Society by the Mountains of Duty and Moral Obligation (Les Montagnes du Devoir). Justice (La Justice) borders the Empire along with the Dell of Danger (Vallon du Danger) and the Valley of Temptation (Vallée de la Tentation). The Empire of Vice is divided into 7 provinces (départements), each of which corresponds with one of the Seven Deadly Sins:

1. Anger (La Colère), cities of Vengeance and Cruelty
2. Greed (L'Avarice), cities of Insatiability and Egotism
3. Envy (L'Envie), cities of Jealousy and Hatred
4. Pride (L'Orgueil), cities of Vanity (capital), Atheism and Mockery
5. Lust (La Luxure), cities of Adultery and Prostitution
6. Sloth (La Paresse), cities of Idleness and Negligence
7. Gluttony (La Gourmandise), cities of Rapacity and Drunkenness

Railroads, named Vengeance, Usury, Slander, Drunkenness, Theft, and Blindness, connect the provinces. The Line of Blindness connects Vanity and the Gare de l'Avertissement, which itself connects the Empire of Vice to La Justice via the 'Reality Train'.

Below, the Strait of Sighs separates the Empire of Vice from Virtue (La Vertu). The Ocean of Sadness(Océan de la Tristesse) and the Sea of Boredom (Mer de l'Ennui) and the Sea of Infamy (Mer de l'Infamie) define Empire's other borders.

Justice and Society

Just outside the borders of the Empire of Vice lies the Dale of Danger. Performance (le Spectacle), Fashion (la Mode), and Novels (les Romans) appear within the Dale, which is right next to the Valley of Temptation. Cities within Justice include Circuit Court (Cour d'Assises), Labor Camp (Le Bagne), and The Gallows (L'Echafaud). The Plains of Hope lie just inside the borders of Society and include Liberty (la Liberté), Friendship (l'Amitié), and Forgiveness (le Pardon). Family (La Famille), Religion (La Religion), and Honor (L'Honneur) are the only major cities within Society. The only railroad in Society connects Family with the Warning Train Station in Lust along the Escape railroad line.

The Tables

Tables to the left and below the map elucidate the content and meaning.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Abbé Jean-Baptiste Faure and published by Veuve Petit in Clermont-Ferrand, France, c. 1880. We are aware of only one other cataloged example, part of the David Rumsey Map Collection.