1828 Finley Map of Illinois
Illinois-finley-1828$350.00
Title
Illinois.
1828 (undated) 11.75 x 9 in (29.845 x 22.86 cm) 1 : 2200000
1828 (undated) 11.75 x 9 in (29.845 x 22.86 cm) 1 : 2200000
Description
This is an 1828 Anthony Finley map of Illinois. The map depicts the state and the region from the Northwest Territory to Kentucky and from the Missouri Territory to Indiana in Finley's classic minimalist style. Rivers, roads, canals, and some topographical features are illustrated. Color coding at the county level allows for easy differentiation between the counties.
Finley's map of Illinois is particularly interesting and important due to its portrayal of the rapidly changing American Indian situation in the northern part of the state. In 1827, northern Illinois was a confined territory assigned to Sac and Fox, Ottowa, and Winnebago Indians. Of note is the fact that the commercial interests of European settlers divides the otherwise singular American Indian lands to provide river access to Chicago and Lake Michigan. Within these lands, a handful of settlements, labeled Indian Villages, are included. Within a few short years of this map's construction, most of these tribes were forcibly removed to the Indian Territory, modern-day Oklahoma. This map was updated yearly from 1824 to the mid-1830s. A full series of these maps is a powerful illustration of both the American Indian relocations and the Westward Expansion.
This map was engraved by Young and Delleker for the 1828 edition of Anthony Finley's General Atlas.
Finley's map of Illinois is particularly interesting and important due to its portrayal of the rapidly changing American Indian situation in the northern part of the state. In 1827, northern Illinois was a confined territory assigned to Sac and Fox, Ottowa, and Winnebago Indians. Of note is the fact that the commercial interests of European settlers divides the otherwise singular American Indian lands to provide river access to Chicago and Lake Michigan. Within these lands, a handful of settlements, labeled Indian Villages, are included. Within a few short years of this map's construction, most of these tribes were forcibly removed to the Indian Territory, modern-day Oklahoma. This map was updated yearly from 1824 to the mid-1830s. A full series of these maps is a powerful illustration of both the American Indian relocations and the Westward Expansion.
This map was engraved by Young and Delleker for the 1828 edition of Anthony Finley's General Atlas.
Cartographer
Anthony Finley (c. 1790 - 1840) was an American map publisher based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His most prominent works, A New American Atlas and the New General Atlas… were published from 1824 to 1834. While little is known of Finley's personal life, he seems to have worked in the same publishing and engraving circles as Tanner. Though most of Finley's cartographic material was borrowed from European sources, his atlases were favorably reviewed at the time of their publishing. His works are known for being attractively sparse and minimalist, focusing primarily on clarity and only the most important facts.
Source
Finley, Anthony, A New General Atlas, Comprising a Complete Set of Maps, representing the Grand Divisions of the Globe, Together with the several Empires, Kingdoms and States in the World; Compiled from the Best Authorities, and corrected by the Most Recent Discoveries, Philadelphia, 1828.
Condition
Very good. Blank on verso.
References
Rumsey 0282.031 (1827 edition). Phillips (Atlases) 4314, 760, 752, 6045.