1911 Robelin Pictorial Map of Paris, France w/ Monuments (Probable First Edition)

An extremely appealing piece, this is a c. 1911 Robelin pictorial pocket map of Paris, France. Likely the first Robelin edition of this celebrated work, it combines the virtues of a map and a view.

A Closer Look

Designed with the tourist in mind, this map illustrates the embastilled center of Paris and its immediate vicinity. Paris proper is colored in a wonderful shade of pink and exhibits more 'map-like' qualities in the layout of the streets, trains, and bridges. Various monuments, including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre-Coeur, and the Pantheon, are illustrated in profile. Major streets, subway lines, and subway stations are also noted. Both the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes appear and are emphasized pictorially, employing a verdant green to highlight the fact that they are public green spaces. Several of the surrounding villages are labeled as well and are differentiated using pastel colors. A pictorial map of the environs of Paris highlighting its monuments, including the Chateau de Versailles and the Chateau de Fontainebleau, occupies the verso.

A Possible First Edition

While this map is undated, one can arrive at an approximate date using the development of the Paris Métro. In this case we know that the Le Peletier station (located not far from the Opéra on the Rue de Lafayette) opened in June 1911 and is labeled here. The Porte de Clichy station, which opened in January 1912, does not appear on the present map, placing the publication of this work between those two dates. We are aware of one other map by Robelin that fits within these parameters, but that map (Rumsey 10885.02) includes additional pictorial elements in the Parisian suburbs, suggesting that it is a later, embellished state. Subsequent editions continued to include these pictorial illustrations of the suburbs, but also changed the typeface for the Métro stops. Robelin monumental maps of Paris were published until at least c. 1932. This is the only known cataloged digitized example of the present edition, making this a unique find for any collector of maps of the City of Light.