1850 Tallis Map of the United States ( Texas at fullest extent)

This is John Tallis's highly desirable 1850 Map of the United States. This is the earliest variation on this map that includes Texas as a state. Herein Texas is depicted at near its fullest extent including both Santa Fe and but excluding the Green Mountain extension in the Northwest. Wisconsin and Iowa are shown with amorphous boundaries. Offers several beautiful vignettes depicting the Baltimore Washington Monument, The Capitol in Washington D.C., Penn's Treaty with the Indians, and an American Indian Buffalo Hunt on the Great Plains. The upper right quadrant features a U.S. flag shield and an Excelsior seal. The ornate border includes the portraits of Washington and Franklin. Undated, but the form of Texas allows us to positively date this to the early 1850 issue of Tallis's valuable map.

Cartographer

John Tallis (November 7, 1817 - June 3, 1876) was an English map publisher and bookseller. Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, he worked in his father's Birmingham agency from 1836 to 1842. Around 1838, Tallis published a collection of London Street Views and entered into a partnership with his brother Frederick Tallis from 1842 to 1849. Tallis and Company also published the Illustrated Atlas of the World (1849). Also in 1849, Tallis traveled to New York City, where he established agencies in 6 American cities. After returning from New York, Tallis paid his brother £10,000 for his share of the business and subsequently operated as John Tallis and Company until 1854. By 1853, John Tallis and Company had agencies in 26 cities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada and employed over 500 people. On February 24, 1854, Tallis brought on a new partner, Ephraim Tipton Brain (1791 - 1876), forming the London Printing and Publishing Company. After a series of setbacks, however, Tallis had to sell his estate and by 1861 was declared bankrupt. Friends and former employees kept him afloat, but none of his 'various ambitious projects' proved lucrative. Tallis married Jane Ball on December 6, 1836, in Birmingham, and they lived together until she died in 1862. Tallis remarried on June 27, 1863, to Mary Stephens, with whom he had two children.   Further Details...

Condition

Fine or perfect condition. Blank on verso.

References

Phillips, 804-70.; Rumsey 0466.071.