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This map, from John Gibson’s Atlas Minimus of 1758, is an exquisite miniature rendition of the Northern Colonies during a pivotal moment in pre-Revolutionary America. It delineates the territories from New York to the expansive hinterlands reaching the Ohio River, Lake Michigan, and Green Bay. This map offers a rare visual account of the region’s geography and settlement patterns on the eve of the French and Indian War.
In the mid-18th century, the areas known as New York and Pennsylvania were central to the Anglo-French contest for supremacy in North America. The map’s extensive coverage, reaching beyond these colonies, highlights key locales and waterways that were integral to trade, migration, and military campaigns. Its depiction of fortifications like Ft. St. Joseph and Ft. duQuesne, alongside the villages of various indigenous peoples, including the Hurons and Utanvas, speaks to the entwined narratives of colonial ambition and native presence.
Gibson's representation is distinguished by its accuracy and attention to topographical and cultural detail, capturing the nuances of a landscape that was both a colonial frontier and indigenous homeland. The cartographic precision brings into focus strategic sites such as St. Mary's Falls, Muskingum, and Shanvanoah, as well as the vital storehouse situated between Lakes Erie and Ontario, reflecting the logistical challenges and imperial strategies of the era.
John Gibson flourished in London from 1748 to 1773. He was most likely born ca. 1724. As a young man he was apprenticed to John Blunbell of the Stationers Company, and then to John Pine. He was made free of the Company in 1748. Gibson proved a talented geographer and engraver who produced numerous maps, especially for books and magazines. He worked in collaboration with other map sellers such as Emanuel Bowen and John Roque. His best-known work was the pocket atlas, The Atlas Minimus (1758). Although little is known about his life beyond his publications, he was imprisoned for debt in King’s Bench from May to June of 1765.
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