1851 Tallis / Rapkin Map of Independent Tartary (Central Asia)

Britain and Russia squabbling over imperial control in Central Asia.

This is a highly decorative 1851 map of Central Asia drawn by John Rapkin and published by John Tallis, with hand-drawn colored borders between polities (the Emirate of Bukhara, the Khanate of Khiva, the Khanate of Kokand, and 'Tartaria,' roughly equivalent to today's Kazakhstan, Kunduz, and Badakhshan).

A Closer Look

This map covers the regions between the Caspian Sea and Lake Balkhash and between Russia and Afghanistan. These include the ancient Silk Route kingdoms of Khiva, Kokand, and Bukhara. Today this region roughly includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. This wonderful map offers a wealth of detail for anyone with an interest in the Central Asian portion of the ancient Silk Road. It identifies various caravan routes, deserts, wells, and stopping points, including the cities of Bokhara and Samarkand. Three vignettes by W. Bragg decorate the map, including an image of Tartars on a Journey, a horseback Bride Chase, and a Tartar campsite.

The Great Game

Though part of a world atlas, this map was made for an English-speaking audience in the context of the 'Great Game,' a diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires over territories in Central and Southern Asia. The conflict, rooted in long-standing animosity between Russia and Britain, revolved around Afghanistan, which, while lacking significant resources of its own, was strategically situated. For its part, Russia feared Britain was making commercial and military inroads into Central Asia, an area long within the sphere of influence of St. Petersburg. Britain, conversely, feared Russia making gains in India, 'the jewel in the crown' of British Asia. The escalating tensions led to several wars and proxy wars in India and Afghanistan, were connected with the Russian annexations of Khiva, Bukhara, and Kokand, and tied to wider geopolitical tensions between Russia and Britain, evident in the Crimean War and elsewhere.

Central Asia and the Russian Empire

Russian contacts with Central Asia predated this map by many centuries and Russian national identity is largely rooted in the relationship with the steppe and interaction (trade, warfare, etc.) with steppe-dwelling peoples, including the Mongols. However, using the latest military, communication, and transportation technology, the Russian Empire focused intently in the mid-19th century on subjugating Central Asia. Although the region had lost some of its wealth and luster from the height of the Silk Road, it was still home to powerful states that held their own in tussles with neighboring empires in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Russians also encountered difficulties in trying to control the region, starting with a disastrous attack on Khiva in 1839. Rather than military strategy or technology, the main obstacle for the Russians was supplying troops so far from the Russian heartland in a region with minimal infrastructure. What could not be moved up rivers had to be carried over land, usually by caravans of horses, oxen, and camels, which required their own food and water. Thus, Russian progress into Central Asia was consistent but slow, and was aided by tensions between the independent states of the region. It was only in the final stage of the Russian conquest of Central Asia that railways reached the region, greatly aiding the control of Central Asia after conquest and facilitating the arrival of colonists.

Although there had been in-depth study of the region by Russian 'Orientalist' scholars by the time this map was produced, Western sources often had a hazy understanding of Central Asia and the peoples who lived there. This was in part a result of an attempt to inscribe taxonomic distinctions on a complex reality, replacing religious identities with ethnic identities in the process, and in part the repurposing of old terms for new purposes. Thus, the differences between, say, 'Tartaria,' 'Tartary,' and 'Turkestan' or between 'Tatars,' 'Turks,' 'Kazakhs,' 'Kirghiz,' and other groups were very uncertain.

Publication History

This map was part of the well-known Tallis's Illustrated Atlas and Modern History of the World published in 1851. It was drawn and engraved by John Rapkin and the vignette illustrations were drawn by W. Bragg and engraved by J. Rogers. This appears to be an atypical edition, as at bottom it says 'The London Printing and Publishing Company' rather than 'John Tallis and Company London and New York' as is generally the case in the published atlas.

Cartographers

John Rapkin (July 18, 1813 - June 20, 1899) was an English mapmaker and engraver. Born in Southwark, Rapkin was the son of George Rapkin, a shoemaker, and his wife Elizabeth Harfy. Rapkin and his brother Richard both became engravers and his other brother, William Harfy Rapkin, became a copperplate printer. Rapkin produced works for James Wyld and John Tallis, including The United States and the relative position of Oregon and Texas for Wyld around 1845, and a series of eighty maps for Tallis that became 'Tallis's illustrated atlas, and modern history of the world' in 1851. Rapkin married Frances Wilmot Rudell on January 4, 1837, with whom he had at least eight children, some of whom became engravers, including his sons John Benjamin Rapkin (1837 - 1914), Alfred Thomas Rapkin (1841 - 1905), Joseph Clarke Rapkin (1846? - 1912), and Frederick William Rapkin (1859 - 1945). Rapkin operated under the imprint 'John Rapkin and Sons from 1867 until 1883, and was operating as 'John Rapkin and Sons' by 1887. Rapkin died in 1899 at the age of 85 soon after the death of his wife of over sixty years.   Further Details...

John Tallis (November 7, 1817 - June 3, 1876) was an English map publisher and bookseller. Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, he worked in his father's Birmingham agency from 1836 to 1842. Around 1838, Tallis published a collection of London Street Views and entered into a partnership with his brother Frederick Tallis from 1842 to 1849. Tallis and Company also published the Illustrated Atlas of the World (1849). Also in 1849, Tallis traveled to New York City, where he established agencies in 6 American cities. After returning from New York, Tallis paid his brother £10,000 for his share of the business and subsequently operated as John Tallis and Company until 1854. By 1853, John Tallis and Company had agencies in 26 cities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada and employed over 500 people. On February 24, 1854, Tallis brought on a new partner, Ephraim Tipton Brain (1791 - 1876), forming the London Printing and Publishing Company. After a series of setbacks, however, Tallis had to sell his estate and by 1861 was declared bankrupt. Friends and former employees kept him afloat, but none of his 'various ambitious projects' proved lucrative. Tallis married Jane Ball on December 6, 1836, in Birmingham, and they lived together until she died in 1862. Tallis remarried on June 27, 1863, to Mary Stephens, with whom he had two children.   Further Details...

John Tallis (November 7, 1817 - June 3, 1876) was an English map publisher and bookseller. Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, he worked in his father's Birmingham agency from 1836 to 1842. Around 1838, Tallis published a collection of London Street Views and entered into a partnership with his brother Frederick Tallis from 1842 to 1849. Tallis and Company also published the Illustrated Atlas of the World (1849). Also in 1849, Tallis traveled to New York City, where he established agencies in 6 American cities. After returning from New York, Tallis paid his brother £10,000 for his share of the business and subsequently operated as John Tallis and Company until 1854. By 1853, John Tallis and Company had agencies in 26 cities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada and employed over 500 people. On February 24, 1854, Tallis brought on a new partner, Ephraim Tipton Brain (1791 - 1876), forming the London Printing and Publishing Company. After a series of setbacks, however, Tallis had to sell his estate and by 1861 was declared bankrupt. Friends and former employees kept him afloat, but none of his 'various ambitious projects' proved lucrative. Tallis married Jane Ball on December 6, 1836, in Birmingham, and they lived together until she died in 1862. Tallis remarried on June 27, 1863, to Mary Stephens, with whom he had two children.   Further Details...

Source

Tallis, J., The Illustrated Atlas, And Modern History Of The World Geographical, Political, Commercial and Statistical, (London and New York: Tallis) 1851.    

Condition

Very good. Trace amounts of soiling near bottom center.

References

Rumsey 0466.045. Phillips (Atlases) 804.