1814 Brue Wall Map of the Pacific w/ Australia, North America, East Asia

'The Fifth Part of the World'.

A striking large scale 1814 map of the Pacific by Adrian-Hubert Brué. This is one of the earliest general maps of the Pacific to be offered commercially - partially responsible for introducing the vastness of Oceania to the general European public. It is moreover the first map to coin the term Océanie for the Pacific Islands - previously it was known as Océanique.

Scope and Focus

The map is generally focused on the Pacific with Hawaii (Sandwich Isles) appearing not far from center in the upper right sheet. It extends eastward to embrace most of North America, and westward to include East and Southeast Asia. Despite broad coverage, the map's focus is Polynesia, Australia, Micronesia, and the East Indies - these areas feature the greatest detail and richest color. Polynesia is loosely outlined in yellow.

Océanie: The Fifth Part of the World

The map bears the curious title Cinquème Partie du Monde or 'Fifth Part of the World'. The reference hails from the conventions of medieval-style T-O maps. Such maps, predating the age of discovery, established a three-part world model centered on Jerusalem: Europa, Asia, and Africa. After the discovery of America and the general understanding that it was not Asia, but rather a separate continent, Martin Waldseemüller (c. 1470 - 1520) and others added America as the 'Fourth Part of the World'.

In the early 19th century, following the discoveries of James Cook (1728 - 1779), Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (1741 - 1788), and George Vancouver (1757 - 1798) Europeans were at last confronted with the vastness and complexity of the Pacific. In the early 19th century, scholars and geographers introduced the concept of the Pacific, or specifically Oceania, as the 'Fifth Part of the World'. The notion was particularly popular in France, where it was embraced by geographers such as Edme Mentelle (1730 - 1815), Conrad Malte-Brun (1775 - 1826), and as here Adrien-Hubert Brué (1786 - 1832).

Moreover, while Brué did not coin the phrase Cinquème Partie du Monde, he did coin the term Océanie for the Pacific Islands - previously it was known as Océanique - and it appears as such here for the first time in print. Later, in 1836, the French geographer Grégoire Louis Domeny de Rienzi (1789 - 1843) popularized the term in his highly derivative, but widely-read encyclopedia, Océanie ou cinquième partie du monde.

Royalist Tendencies

The map was issued in the early days of the Bourbon Restoration (1814 - 1830), and is thus dedicated to the Comte d'Artois. This title was abolished in 1793 during the French Revolution (1789 - 1799) but reinstated with the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In this case, the dedication specifically refers to Charles Philippe (1757 - 1836). Charles returned to France shortly before Napoleon's abdication, taking control of France as Lieutenant General of the realm. When this map was printed, Charles was the de facto ruler of France until 1815, when his uncle Louis XVIII arrived from England to assume the throne. He succeeded Louis XVIII as King of France in 1825 as Charles X. Brué dedicated many of his maps to the Comte d'Artois, suggesting that he was angling for royal patronage.

Publication History and Census

This map was first published, as here, in 1814, by Adrien Hubert Brué in partnership with the Paris map publishers Jacques Desray and Jean Goujon. It was issued both separately and bound in sections into the rare Brué Atlas Universel. The map went through numerous subsequent editions to about 1847. We note examples at the Newberry Library, the Württembergische Landesbibliothek, the State library of Victoria, and TU Darmstadt, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek.

Cartographers

Adrien-Hubert Brué (March 20, 1786 – July 16, 1832) was a prominent French cartographer and geographer of the early 19th century. Born in Paris, Brué went to sea as a cabin boy at the age of twelve and, at fourteen, joined the Naturaliste, one of the two principal vessels of the Baudin Expedition (1800 - 1804) to the South Pacific. After returning to France, he devoted himself to cartography, earning distinction for the exceptional clarity, precision, and elegance of his maps. Brué drew many of his maps directly onto the copperplate, an innovative method he dubbed encyprotype. This technique produced exceptionally fine outlines, facilitated the careful revision of topography and relief, and allowed waterways to be differentiated by the weight of their engraved lines, making their relative importance immediately apparent. Brué eventually received the prestigious title Géographe du Roi, which he frequently appended to his signature, and in that capacity contributed to thousands of maps and numerous important atlases. Suffering from declining health, he retired to Sceaux, outside Paris, in search of cleaner air, but died there during the cholera epidemic of 1832. He was a member of the Central Commission of the Société de Géographie de Paris and an associate of the Geographical Society of London. Brué left numerous works unfinished at his death; several were published posthumously by his widow in 1834, before she transferred the business to Pierre-Jacques Picquet, son and successor of Brué's former associate Charles Picquet (1771 - 1827). Brué's maps continued to be revised and republished for decades, attesting to their enduring authority and commercial importance.   Further Details...

Jean Goujon (fl. c. 1785 - 1825) was a French publisher and mapseller based in Paris. Goujon's work begins appearing shortly before the French Revolution (1789 - 1799) and continues well into the Napoleonic Era (1799 - 1815). He was based out of no. 6, Rue du Bac, Paris. In 1825, Goujon's daughter married Eugène Andriveau. Andriveau soon took over Goujon's shop and took the name, Andriveau-Goujon. The family dynasty that followed became the most prominent geographic publishers in France in the 19th century.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Four sheets, unjoined. Wide margins with original deckled edges. Slight centerfold wear.

References

OCLC 1028991901. Phillips (Atlases) 726.