Description:
"Map of Canada or of New France" titled "CARTE / DU CANADA / OU DE LA / NOUVELLE FRANCE / et des Decouvertes qui y ont ete faites / Dressee sur plusiers observations/ et sur un grand numbre de Relations imprimee ou manuscites / Par Guillaume Del'Isle Geografe / de l'Academie des Sciences / A. AMSTERDAM / Chez Pierre Mortier Geographe Avec Privelege." Beginning in the 1570s and continuing for roughly a century, Dutch mapmakers producd works of exceptional accuracy and great beauty. In many ways, the Dutch schools of cartography surpassed all of their European rivals, thanks to a well-financed network of engravers, printers and publishers. But as Dutch naval and mercantile domination of the seas waned, so did its domination of printed cartography. By the 1680s, the superiority of French maps caused Dutch cartographic publishers to copy maps made in Paris. A member of the "Academie des Sciences, Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726) ranks as one of the first "scientfic" cartographers, who carefully evaluated a variety of sources and incorporated the most accurate information into his maps. The product of 7 years of research into published and manuscript documents and maps, "Carte du Canada" remains the period's most accurated depiction of New France. First published in Paris in 1703, French and Dutch variants of this map were issued until 1761; the first reissue was by Pierre Mortier (1661-1711) in Amsterdam around 1708. Following an apprenticeship as a bookseller in Paris, Mortier established himself as a book and map seller on Amsterdam's Vijgendam ('Dam of figs') in 1685 where he established a worshop of engravers and printers, and began publishing copies of French maps. Mortier avoided legal action either by claiming to "improve and correct" the maps, or by entering into agreements with French publishers. He also purchased old copperplates and reprinted Dutch maps by Willem and Joan Blaeu, Hugo Allard, Frederick de Wit, and others. The map's title cartouche depeicts several generic Native Americans along with two images of paramount concern to the French. A priest with a Native (upper left) symbolizes the mission to create Catholic converts in the New World, and a beaver (lower left) represents the highly lucrative fur trade that created personal fortunes in France and Canada. The product of seven years of research into published and manuscript documents and maps, Carte du Canada remains the period’s most accurate depiction of New France. The map’s title cartouche includes two images of paramount concern to the French. A priest with a Native American (upper left) symbolizes the mission to create Catholic converts in North America, and a beaver (lower left) represents the highly lucrative fur trade that created personal fortunes in France and Canada. First published in Paris in 1703, French and Dutch variants of this map were issued until 1761.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2001.16 |
