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Description

Seminal map of the Great Lakes, by Jacques Nicolas Bellin, which completely re-wrote the cartographic treatment of the region.

Bellin's map of the Great Lakes is one of the cartographic landmarks of the region. Among other things, the map is noteworthy for the introduction of the islands in Lake Superior, which would remain on maps for nearly 100 years. The map summarizes the knowledge of the region as the French knew it toward the end of their occupation. It shows the river systems known to the French explorers, locates French forts and settlements, and identifies Indian Villages. The map also incorporates some of the work of Sieur de La Verendrye, the last of the great French explorers in America.

In 1755, Bellin issued a substantially revised map, which can be distinguished from the earlier 1745 Bellin in a number of ways, besides the imprint. /gallery/detail/38669

The later Bellin shows the Ohio River extending below the neat line and includes significantly more detail on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, a very different shape for Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and in general, significantly different topographical features. Other than the cartouche and the general regional coverage, there is very little similarity between the two maps.

The Bellin edition of this map is rare on the market, this being only the first example we have offered for sale.

Condition Description
Minor printer's crease at top center.
Jacques Nicolas Bellin Biography

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was among the most important mapmakers of the eighteenth century. In 1721, at only the age of 18, he was appointed Hydrographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographic Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.

During his term as Official Hydrographer, the Dépôt was the one of the most active centers for the production of sea charts and maps in Europe. Their output included a folio-format sea atlas of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea atlases of the world, including the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame and distinction all over Europe and were republished throughout the eighteenth and even in the nineteenth century.

Bellin also produced smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime, containing 580 finely-detailed charts. He also contributed a number of maps for the 15-volume Histoire Generale des Voyages of Antoine François Prévost.

Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy, cementing France's leading role in European cartography and geography during this period. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers across the continent.