1851 Tallis and Rapkin Map of Western Australia

This is a scarce 1851 example of John Tallis and John Rapkin's 1851 map of Western Australia. It covers southwestern Western Australia from Champion Bay south around Sussex to Doubtful Island Bay. This map records the early settlements of the United Kingdom in the western part of Australia. It notes numerous counties, roadways, rivers, geographical features, and more.

Swan River is identified. The Swan River Colony including Perth was settled by the British in 1829. York, noted here, was the first inland settlement by the British in 1831. Albany with King George Sound, along with its surrounding areas is called Plantagenet, supposedly named so because King George, the reigning British monarch at the time, believed that he was related to the Plantagenet lineage of kings, who ruled many centuries earlier.

This map includes illustrations by A. H. Wray of Sheep Shearing, Aborigines, Perth from Mount Eliza and a view Between Perth and Fremantle. Illustrations of ships and natives is also included. The whole has the highly decorative presentation and elaborate border distinctive of Tallis maps. This map was issued as part of the 1851 edition of John Tallis and Company's The Illustrated Atlas, And Modern History of the World.

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...

Source

Tallis, J. and F., The Illustrated Atlas, And Modern History Of The World Geographical, Political, Commercial & Statistical, 1851.    

Condition

Very good. Minor wear along original centerfold. Minor spotting. Blank on verso.

References

Rumsey 0466.055. Phillips (Atlases) 804.