1818 Pinkerton Map of Korea and Japan

Revealing portrait of European geographical uncertainty in East Asia.

This is the 1818 American edition of John Pinkerton's map of Japan and Korea, published in Philadelphia by Thomas Dobson for A Modern Atlas. The map captures a transitional moment in the cartography of East Asia, combining established 18th-century geographical conventions with new information derived from contemporary Pacific exploration. Faced with conflicting reports from different navigators and cartographers, Pinkerton sometimes maps competing interpretations of the same geographical feature, effectively allowing the reader to judge between rival authorities. Elsewhere, the map incorporates significant advances over earlier European representations, particularly in its treatment of Jeju Island (Quelpaert), while retaining much of the established D'Anville geography of Korea and Japan.

A Closer Look

Despite its title, Japan, the map gives equal prominence to the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago. Coverage extends from Chinese Tartary and Korea eastward across the Sea of Japan to Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, with southern Ezo (modern Hokkaido) entering at the upper right. Jeju appears south of Korea, while Tsushima and the islands between the peninsula and Kyushu emphasize the maritime connections between the two countries.

Hand coloring distinguishes Korea from the principal Japanese regional divisions, whose boundaries are further articulated by colored outlines. Numerous settlements, rivers, and mountain ranges fill the land areas, with relief expressed through closely worked hachures. Coastal shading gives particular definition to the intricate shorelines and offshore islands. Japan's provinces are grouped within larger historical regions, presenting a geographical organization quite different from the modern prefectural system. The restrained, horizontally shaded title cartouche leaves most of the sheet available for cartographic information.

Two Locations for Jootsi Sima

Off the Noto Peninsula, Pinkerton labels separate islands Jootsi Sima according to La Pérouse and Jootsi Sima according to Roberts. Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse (1741 - 1788), had applied an inherited island name to a feature he observed northwest of the peninsula in 1787. Earlier cartography placed the similarly named island northeast of the cape. Henry Roberts (1756 - 1796), whose charts accompanied the published account of Cook's Third Voyage (1776 - 1780), represents that alternative tradition.

The duplication is not simply a misplaced label. It records disagreement between named authorities and allows the reader to distinguish their claims. Later comparison with Japanese cartography identified La Pérouse's island as Hegura. Pinkerton's decision to retain both interpretations exposes rather than conceals the limitations of his sources.

Inherited Geography and Maritime Revision

The Korean cartography derives principally from Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville (1697 - 1782) and his Royaume de Corée, published in Jean-Baptiste Du Halde's 1735 description of China and subsequently in d'Anville's 1737 Nouvel Atlas de la Chine. This geographical tradition ultimately combined Korean information with material assembled through the Jesuit mapping enterprise in Qing China. Its detailed appearance should not be mistaken for direct European knowledge of the peninsula. Northern Honshu and southern Ezo likewise preserve the configuration familiar from Gilles Robert de Vaugondy's (1688 - 1766) 1750 L'Empire du Japon.

Jeju is identified by its longstanding European name, Quelpaert. Dutch navigators recorded it by 1648, and the designation became more widely known through Hendrick Hamel's account of his 1653 shipwreck on the island. Its precise origin remains uncertain, though it is generally associated with a small Dutch sailing vessel type called a quelpaert, possibly the vessel De Brack, which sailed to Japan in 1642. The island's representation here is more developed than in d'Anville's earlier mapping and likely reflects subsequent maritime observations, including those of La Pérouse.

The map predates the European publication of much of the Japanese geographical material collected by Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796 - 1866). Siebold's access to Japanese maps helped support his 1840 map of the empire, bringing a different body of evidence to problems that Pinkerton addressed by comparing European authorities. ([eajrs.net]())

Publication History and Census

The map was drawn by L. Hebert under the direction of John Pinkerton (1758 - 1826) and engraved by Samuel John Neele (1758 - 1824). It was first published in London on March 1, 1809, by Cadell and Davies and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, and subsequently included in the 1815 London edition of A Modern Atlas. This example comes from Thomas Dobson's (1751 - 1823) Philadelphia edition of 1818. Dobson's republication brought this large-format British reference atlas to an American readership, consistent with his broader business of issuing American editions of major British scholarly works. This map is well represented institutionally, though the American edition is rare.

Cartographers

John Pinkerton (February 17, 1758 - March 10, 1826) was an Scottish writer, historian, and cartographer. Pinkerton was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a studious youth with a passion for the classics. As a young man, he studied at Edinburgh University before apprenticing as a lawyer. Around this time, he began writing, with his first book, Elegy on Craigmillar Castle published in 1776. Pinkerton moved to London in 1781 to pursue his writing career in earnest. He successfully published several works of literature, poetry, and history. Pinkerton proved passionate in his literary and historical writings, but his correspondence with other cartographers has been labeled as aggressive, even insane. In addition to his work as a writer and historian, Pinkerton was one of the leading masters of the Edinburgh school of cartography which flourished from roughly 1800 to 1830. Pinkerton and his contemporaries (Thomson and Cary) redefined European cartography by abandoning typical 18th century decorative elements such as elaborate title cartouches and fantastical beasts in favor of detail and accuracy. Pinkerton's principle work is Pinkerton's Modern Atlas published from 1808 through 1815 with a special American reissue by Dobson and Co. in 1818. Pinkerton relocated to Paris in 1818, where he managed his publishing business until his death in 1826.   Further Details...

Samuel John Neele (July 29, 1758 - May 13, 1824) was a prolific British map engraver active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Neele apprenticed as a printer and engraver with Harry Ashby from about 1781 to 1782 before establishing himself independently in 1785 at 352 Strand, London. The combination of business acumen and technical skill made Neele extremely successful, with literally hundreds of maps to his credit. His vast corpus was composed of notable maps by most major English publishers of the period, including Haywood, Faden, Wallis, Stockdale, Arrowsmith, Thomson, Pinkerton, and Greenwood, among others. He operated from 352 Strand, London. Neele's sons, James and Josiah Neele, also engravers, took over their father's business around 1818, both becoming notable in their own right.   Further Details...

Thomas Dobson (1751 - 1823) was an American publisher active in Philadelphia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dobson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1751 and emigrated to Philadelphia c. 1780. In Philadelphia, he established a successful printing business by republishing edited and updated versions of important British reference materials in matching quality but at a much lower price point. He is best known for publishing the first American edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He also published America's first Hebrew Bible. Cartographically Dobson's most notable work is 1818 republication of Pinkerton's fantastic Modern Atlas.   Further Details...

Source

Pinkerton, John, A Modern Atlas, from the Latest and Best Authorities, Exhibiting the Various Divisions of the World, with its Chief Empires, Kingdoms, and States; in Sixty Maps, carefully reduced from the largest and most authentic sources, (Philadelphia: Thomas Dobson) 1818.    

Condition

Very good. Wide clean margins. Some transference. Blank on verso.

References

Rumsey 0732.035 (British edition). Phillips (Atlases) #724. National Maritime Museum, #409. Phillips (America), page 806.