1818 Pinkerton Map of Beligum

Belgium-pinkerton-1818
$250.00
The Netherlands and the Countries to the Left Bank  of the Rhine. - Main View
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1818 Pinkerton Map of Beligum

Belgium-pinkerton-1818

$250.00

Title


The Netherlands and the Countries to the Left Bank of the Rhine.
  1818 (undated)     20.5 x 28 in (52.07 x 71.12 cm)

Description


Pinkerton's extraordinary 1818 map of Belgium. Covers what is essentially today's Belgium between the Dutch Brabant and France. When this map was drawn this area was united with what is today Holland under Napoleon and the French Empire. Later the southern parts of the Netherlands, which were traditionally Catholic, would split off to form modern day Belgium. Offers considerable detail with political divisions and color coding at the regional level. Identifies cities, towns, castles, important battle sites, castles, swamps, mountains and river ways. Title plate in the upper right quadrant. Four mile scales, in Common French Leagues, Leagues of Brabant, Dutch and German Miles, and British Statute Miles, also appear in the lower left quadrant.

Drawn by L. Herbert and engraved by Samuel Neele under the direction of John Pinkerton. This map comes from the scarce American edition of Pinkerton's Modern Atlas, published by Thomas Dobson & Co. of Philadelphia in 1818.

CartographerS


John Pinkerton (February 17, 1758 - March 10, 1826) was an Scottish writer, historian, and cartographer. Pinkerton was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a studious youth with a passion for the classics. As a young man, he studied at Edinburgh University before apprenticing as a lawyer. Around this time, he began writing, with his first book, Elegy on Craigmillar Castle published in 1776. Pinkerton moved to London in 1781 to pursue his writing career in earnest. He successfully published several works of literature, poetry, and history. Pinkerton proved passionate in his literary and historical writings, but his correspondence with other cartographers has been labeled as aggressive, even insane. In addition to his work as a writer and historian, Pinkerton was one of the leading masters of the Edinburgh school of cartography which flourished from roughly 1800 to 1830. Pinkerton and his contemporaries (Thomson and Cary) redefined European cartography by abandoning typical 18th century decorative elements such as elaborate title cartouches and fantastical beasts in favor of detail and accuracy. Pinkerton's principle work is Pinkerton's Modern Atlas published from 1808 through 1815 with a special American reissue by Dobson and Co. in 1818. Pinkerton relocated to Paris in 1818, where he managed his publishing business until his death in 1826. More by this mapmaker...


Thomas Dobson (1751 - 1823) was an American publisher active in Philadelphia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dobson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1751 and emigrated to Philadelphia c. 1780. In Philadelphia, he established a successful printing business by republishing edited and updated versions of important British reference materials in matching quality but at a much lower price point. He is best known for publishing the first American edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He also published America's first Hebrew Bible. Cartographically Dobson's most notable work is 1818 republication of Pinkerton's fantastic Modern Atlas. Learn More...

Source


Pinkerton, J., A Modern Atlas, from the Lates and Best Authorities, Exhibiting the Various Divisions of the World with its chief Empires, Kingdoms, and States; in Sixty Maps, carefully reduced from the Larges and Most Authentic Sources. 1818, Philadelphia, Thomas Dobson Edition.    

Condition


Good condition. Damp staining in lower quadrants. Original centerfold exhibits some wear and toning. Blank on verso.

References


Rumsey 0732.023. Phillips (Atlases) 724. National Maritime Museum, 409.