1780 Bowles Map of the World in Two Hemispheres

Decoratve map of the world from the American Revolutionary War Period.

This is a strikingly decorative 1780 Carington Bowles English-language double-hemisphere map of the world at the height of the Georgian Era and the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783). The map captures the political and geographical assumptions of the late 18th century, including a number of curiosities and cartographic anomalies, all from a distinct British perspective.

A Closer Look

The map is divided into the 'Western Hemisphere or the New World' and the 'Eastern Hemisphere of the Old World'. Countries are loosely outlined, except for the American colonies, which are presented in greater detail, reflecting British public interest in the ongoing Revolutionary War. The Eastern Hemisphere sheet features broad arcs that separate the Northern Hemisphere into 24 Climate Zones, plus six Arctic Climate Zones. Similarly, in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Tropics are separated into zones, though these are not labeled as such. Dotted lines trace the routes of the major naval expeditions of the prior decades, specifically those of Cook, Bougainville, and Anson. Vignettes representing the four continents occupy the corners: Europe as a well-dressed nobleman and his retainer; Asia as a turbaned Muslim trader; Africa as a warrior and ivory merchant with elephants and lions in the background; and America as a man and woman wearing elaborate feather headdresses.

Some points of interest

• Muller's Peninsula: The Muller Peninsula is the large speculative peninsula that bears a vague resemblance in location and form to Alaska.It was postulated by Gerhard F. Müller based upon his reading of the Bering-Chirikov reports.Bering and Chirikov skirted the Aleutian Islands, sighting land on numerous occasions, specifically from Bering's Island, before reaching the North American mainland and sighting Mount Saint Elias (Mont de St. Elie).By drawing a line between Bering's sightings of the Aleutian Islands, Müller presumed they formed a vast Aleutian peninsula.
• New Albion Inlet: An intriguing inlet along the west coast of North America potentially illustrates the Columbia River.
• Xarayes: A large lake labeled 'L. of Chartes' occupies part of central South America as the source of the Paraguay River.This is the apocryphal Laguna de Xarayes, a mismapping of the flooded Pantanal during the rainy season.
• Van Diemen's Land: Tasmania is connected to the mainland of Australia, labeled as New Holland.This error was not corrected until 1798, when George Bass and Matthew Flinders proved it was an island, charting the Bass Strait.
• Gulf of St. Sebastian: Identified southeast of Tierra del Fuego.This is an undiscovered speculative landmass - the last remnant of the apocryphal Terre Australis to appear in the cartographic record.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by Joseph Ellis and published by Carington Bowles in 1780. A second state bearing the same title was published in 1791 and bears significant updates to North America, the South Pacific, and the Antarctic. We note two cataloged examples of the present 1780 edition: Texas Christian University and the University of British Columbia.

Cartographers

The Bowles Family (fl. c. 1714 - 1832) were publishers and map sellers active in London from c. 1714 to c. 1832. The firm, under Thomas Bowles (fl. 1714 - 1763), John Bowles (1701 - 1779), Carrington Bowles (1724 - 1793), and as Bowles and Carver (fl. 1794 - 1832), produced a massive corpus of work that included numerous atlases, pocket maps, and wall maps. The Bowles publishing tradition was kept alive for four generations, starting with Thomas Bowles, a print engraver active in the late 17th century. His son, Thomas Bowles II, produced the firm's first maps at St. Paul's Churchyard, London. Thomas's brother, John Bowles (a.k.a. 'Old John Bowles' or 'Black Horse Bowles'), was also an active publisher established at no. 13 Cornhill. He is credited as one of the first publishers of William Hogarth's works. There, John's son, Carrington Bowles, was introduced to the trade. Carrington took over the Cornhill bookshop and eventually merged it with his uncle's shop in St. Paul's Churchyard. On Carrington's 1793 death, the business was passed to his son Henry Carrington Bowles (1763 - 1830), who partnered with his father's former apprentice Samuel Carver (1756 - 1841), renaming the firm 'Bowles and Carver'. Under this imprint, the firm continued to publish maps and atlases until 1832. Henry Carrington Bowles died in 1830, but Samuel Carver, himself in advanced years and poor health, kept it going for another 2 years before closing the business.   Further Details...

Joseph Ellis (c. 1734 - c. 1800) was a British writing and map engraver sometimes referred to as John Ellis but according to Worms and Baynton-Williams' British Map Engravers, 'the forename of Joseph seems incontrovertible'. Born in London, in 1749 Ellis apprenticed to Richard William Seale. He married Seale's daughter, Elizabeth Seale, on September 1, 1755. After Richard Seale's death in 1762 Ellis inherited all of Seale's tools. Per Worms and Bayton-Williams, 'His death date remains uncertain, but he was certainly still alive in February 1800, when Thomas Mozeen was apprenticed to him.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Light wear along original centerfold. Small area of infill in upper left corner below illustration of Europe. Margin infill to upper left corner.

References

Texas Christian University Special Collections mc-44. University of British Columbia Special Collections G3200 1780.B68.