1815 Francis Duncan view of St. Helena with an Detailed Map of the Island

Napoleon's Place of Exile.

This beautifully engraved, extremely rare, 1815 view and map of the island of St. Helena was produced by Leipzig illustrator Henrich Leutemann. It presented an up-to-date image of the island to a readership eager to learn more of the remote island to which Napoleon had, famously, been exiled. The view is derived from a first-hand observation by British surgeon Francis Duncan, in whose book it appeared. The map's author, on the other hand, is unknown. It is the only such map of which we are aware to appear in an edition of Duncan's book.

A Closer Look

The top of the plate presents the reader with a south-oriented oblique view of the northwest-facing coast of the island, centered on the island's port of Jamestown. Forts top the peaks flanking the town; ships sail in the foreground. Below is a detailed map of the island, noting streams, settlements (including individual houses), fortifications including coastal batteries, and such features as salt flats. A German descriptive text details the island's location in the Atlantic, the height of its mountains, and its population.

Sources

This plate appeared in an 1815, Leipzig translation of Francis Duncan's 1805 A Description of the Island of St. Helena. This was the first published history of the island, and Napoleon's exile there instantly resulted in the publication or reissues and translations of Duncan's little book, at least two of which were German editions published in different cities. The first iteration of this plate's upper view appeared in the 1805 work; though not named on the work (indeed, Duncan's book was anonymous), the view can be presumed to be at least based on his description.

The 1805 work contained a coastal profile as well as this view, but it did not include a map. The source of this map is not known. Its appearance in the 1815 Leipzig translation of Duncan's book is unique: the German editions printed in Bonn and Zurich only included the view. Our only clue as to the source of the map is in its own French text notations. However, the closest contemporary French map of St. Helena that we can identify is the 1753 Bellin, which this map in no way resembles.

Publication History and Census

This plate was executed by Henrich Leutemann in 1815 for inclusion in Beschreibung der Insel St. Helena... Description de l'Isle de Ste. Helene, où est transporté prisonnier Buonaparte. This issue of Duncan's book was translated by Theophil Friedrich Ehrmann. The book is rare; we see only one example recorded by Dartmouth College. We see no separate examples of this plate in institutional collections or on the market.

Cartographer

Francis Duncan (fl. 1788 - 1805) was a British surgeon and author. Virtually all that is known of him derives from his 1805 A Description of the Island of St. Helena, the earliest monograph of that island. Nothing is known of his youth or his death. He joined the British East India Company as a surgeon in 1788 and served in India. His journey home in 1801 took him to St. Helena, where he stayed for five weeks. It was this visit that provided the occasion for his book. The book included a view of the island and its primary town, which is presumably Duncan's composition.   Further Details...

Source

Ehrmann, Theophil Friedrich, Beschreibung der Insel St. Helena... Description de l'isle de Ste. Helene, où est transporté prisonnier Buonaparte. (Leipzig: Im Industrie-Comptoir) 1815.    

Condition

Excellent.