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Description

Detailed map of Russia and Alaska, which appeared in an undetermined French publication circa 1790,, possibly the Annales du Voyages, for which Tardieu was a regular engraver of maps.

The map shows the results of the recent Russian, Spanish and British discoveries along the coastline of Alaska, most notably, those of Captain James Cook in 1779, which are identifies in the map.

The map locates Port Buccareli and Port Remedios, the points reached by the Spanish at the end of the 18th Century, along with noting other early observations by Cook and the River of the West, discovered in 1603.

An interesting map, published on the eve of the expeditions of La Perouse, Vancouver and others along the Northwest Coast of America.

Condition Description
Minor soiling, primarily in the blank margins
Pierre Antoine Tardieu Biography

Pierre Antoine Tardieu (1784-1869), also known to sign his works as PF Tardieu, was a prolific French map engraver and geographer. The Tardieu family, based in Paris, was well known for their talent in engraving, cartography, and illustration. Pierre Antoine’s father, Antoine Francois Tardieu, was an established cartographer who published numerous atlases. His son is said to have collaborated with him for many years before establishing his own independent career.

Pierre Antoine Tardieu’s most famous work includes engravings of the islands of La Palma and Tenerife, for which in 1818 he was awarded a bronze medal by King Louis-Phillipe for the beauty and accuracy of his mapping. Other famous work includes his mapping of Louisiana and Mexico, engravings of Irish counties, maps of Russia and Asia, and his highly celebrated illustrations of all the provinces of France. He was also the first mapmaker to engrave on steel.

Tardieu was a popular map engraver in his lifetime, enjoying the patronage of the likes of Alexander von Humboldt and respect among his peers. In 1837, he was appointed the title Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. As was written in his obituary in the Bulletin of the Geographical Society of France, he was renowned for his combination of technical talent and scholarly research skills and praised for furthering his family’s well-respected name in the scientific arts.