1874 Tardieu Map of Greece and the Balkans

This is a beautiful 1874 map of Greece, the Balkans and the European part of Turkey by Ambroise Tardieu. It covers from Moldavia to Candia or Crete and from the Gulf of Venice to the Sea of Marmara. The modern day states of Greece, Albania, Moldova, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania are included. Throughout, major towns, cities, rivers, mountains and other topographical features are noted.

This map was made when the Ottoman Empire controlled much of the region. It depicts the waning years of Ottoman hegemony in the region, with the Greek nationalist movement attaining independence for the Peloponnese in 1821. The Ionian Republic, under the protection of Great Britain, was also free of Ottoman control. The other Grecian and Balkan states, including Serbia, Croatia, Moldavia, Wallachia, Albania, and Macedonia, remained at least nominally under Ottoman control until 1878.

This map was prepared by Ambroise Tardieu and issued as plate 20 in his 1874 edition of Atlas Universel de Geographie Ancienne et Moderne.

Cartographers

Ambroise Tardieu (March 2, 1788 - January 17, 1841) was a prominent French cartographer and engraver operating in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was member of the large and prolific Tardieu family, which, for over 200 years, produced multiple skilled and active engravers. Tardieu's work is known for its beauty and accuracy as well as for its depth of detail. Tardieu's most important work is his version of John Arrowsmith's large format map of the United States, published in 1806. Ambroise Tardieu is eclipsed in fame by his son, artist and medical scholar, August Ambroise Tardieu. Ambroise Tardieu is also frequently confused with Jean Baptiste Pierre Tardieu, another unrelated French map and print engraver active in the early 19th century.   Further Details...

Alexandre Aimé Vuillemin (1812 - 1880) was an engraver, publisher, and editor based in Paris, France in the middle of the 19th century. Despite a prolific publishing career, much of Vuillemin's life is shrouded in mystery. In 1852, he married Josephine Caroline Goret and they had at least one child, Ernestine Adèle Vuillemin, later in the same year. What is known is that his studied under the prominent French Auguste Henri Dufour (1798 - 1865). Vuillemin's most important work his detailed, highly decorative large format Atlas Illustre de Geographie Commerciale et Industrielle.   Further Details...

Source

Furne, Jouvet et Cie Atlas Universel de Geographie Ancienne et Moderne (Paris), 1874.    

Condition

Very good. Minor wear along original centerfold. Original platemark visible. Minor spotting.

References

Rumsey 4697.024 (1863 edition).