1747 Bowen Map of the North Atlantic Islands: Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands (Maelstrom)

A singularly fascinating 1747 map of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands by E. Bowen. Essentially four maps on one sheet, this map of the North Atlantic islands is festooned with speculation and curiosities.

The uppermost map is based on reports by the priest Hans Egede and shows the southern portions of Greenland as well as parts of Iceland and James Island. When this map was drawn the coasts of Greenland were fairly well mapped out by Icelandic and Scandinavian whalers, but the interior was largely unknown. There was some speculation in the early 17th and 18th centuries that a water passage existed through Greenland providing easy access to Iceland from the Davis Straights. Our map notes the passage but also comments that it is now impassable due to ice. Bowen also notes that the seas on either side of the Island are treacherous due to 'mountains of Ice.'

The lower left map depicts the Faroe Islands. Today these stunning green islands are considered one of the most beautiful and unspoiled places on earth. Our map depicts the Faroe Islands according a map contained in a 17th century book on the islands written by Jacobson Debes.

The Faroe Islands have been historically treacherous for mariners due to the unpredictable currents and tides surrounding them. One of the most curious and legendary results of these currents is the great maelstrom that once roared at the southern tip of Sunderoe (today Suouroy Island) - depicted on our map at the right center. This mighty whirlpool swirled around a sheer pinnacle of rock called Monek, which was said to resemble a monk from one side and a sailing ship from the other. Reports say that the whirlpool was over a mile in diameter. Soundings show that the waters surrounding the whirlpool had a depth of some 80 to 90 fathoms, but that the waters nearer the rock, at the center of the maelstrom, were but 7 to 10 fathoms deep. Sadly this startling natural phenomenon is no more. In 1884 much of Monek Rock crumbled into the sea, creating a dangerous underwater reef and displacing the unique convergence that created the maelstrom.

In the lower right hand corner of our chart is a map of Iceland. Iceland had been fairly well mapped since the late 16th century. This map, updated from earlier maps, shows the royal residence and four primary provinces.

Drawn my Emmanuel Bowen for issue in his 1747 edition of A Complete System of Geography...

Cartographer

Emanuel Bowen (1694 - May 8, 1767) was a Welsh cartographer, map engraver, and publisher active in London during the first half and middle of the 18th century. Born at Talley, Carmarthenshire, he was apprenticed in 1709 to the London engraver and globe-maker Charles Price, beginning a career that combined the compilation of geographical information with copperplate engraving for booksellers and map publishers. His early work included maps for an Atlas of the World issued in 1717, followed by Britannia Depicta; or, Ogilby Improv'd (1720), prepared with John Owen, which brought together reduced road-strip maps, county maps, and historical and heraldic information in a portable volume. In 1729, Bowen published a subscription-funded map of South Wales, substantially improving the region's cartographic representation; the map's geographical information subsequently informed his Welsh county maps. After working at several London addresses, he established workshops in Aldersgate, Smithfield, and Clerkenwell, producing maps extensively for other publishers rather than relying on a prominent retail shop. His international cartography included maps for A Complete System of Geography (1744 - 1747), the 1744-48 edition of Navigantium atque itinerantium bibliotheca, and A Complete Atlas (1752). He became geographer to George II around 1747. Among his apprentices were Thomas Kitchin (1719 - 1784), who married Bowen's daughter Sarah in 1739, and Thomas Jefferys (1719 - 1771), apprenticed in 1735. With Kitchin, Bowen produced the county maps issued between 1749 and 1760 that formed The Large English Atlas; their collaboration continued in The Royal English Atlas around 1763. His maps characteristically combined detailed geographical engraving and ornamental cartouches with extensive historical, economic, and topographical annotations. Despite his substantial output and royal appointment, Bowen died in reduced circumstances in 1767. His son and fellow engraver, Thomas Bowen (d. 1790), continued his cartographic work, including Atlas Anglicanus (1767 - 1768), which was completed and issued after Emanuel's death.   Further Details...

Source

Bowen, E., A complete system of geography. Being a description of all the countries, islands, cities, chief towns, harbours, lakes, and rivers, mountains, mines, &c. of the known world …, 1747 edition.    

Condition

Very good conditon. Mild overall toning. Old crease through southern Greenland. Blank on verso.

References

Rumsey 3733.070. Phillips (Atlases) 614. Phillips (Maps of America), p. 303. National Maritime Museum, p. 356.