(Click the thumb nail to see a larger image)

Pub Year	Map Maker	Pub Place	Map Title	Map Price (USD)	Picture
1814	Carey, Matthew	Philadelphia	Louisiana	$1,250	Picture

A copper plate engraving, hand-colored outlines, double plate folio

Size: 39 cm (15.4 inches) x 43 cm (16.9 inches) and printed on rag paper. Scale: 1 inch = approximately 11 miles.

Map Type: Atlas

Small tears in margin repaired, not affecting image. Overall, in superb condition.

Taken from from Carey's General Atlas, Improved and Enlarged; Being A Collection Of Maps Of The World And Quarters, Their Principal Empires, Kingdoms, &c. ...

Mathew Carey, an Irish immigrant, was a pioneer in American cartography, for he established the first American specialized cartographic publishing firm in Philadelphia. He used the best artists and had numerous craftsmen for engraving, printing, and coloring his maps. He was followed by John Melish and Henry S. Tanner, two other giants in 19th century America. This map is from the first Atlas made in the United States to employ standard color on the maps. This particular example is from the second edition of the Carey Atlas as he calls the 1818 edition the third edition.

This map displays the rivers, towns, and roads of Louisiana just after it's statehood in 1812. Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, Natchez, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge are all identified. Great detail is shown around the mouth of the Mississippi in contrast to the undeveloped, relatively unexplored blank western half of the state. The eastern side of the state is bordered by the Mississippi Territory. The longitude on the map is distorted giving the state a broadened, bulbous shape. This is one of the earliest maps of the state of Louisiana. It is the earliest available atlas map of the State of Louisiana. An important and valuable record of the cartographical history of Louisiana.

References: A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress, 722-26, Phillips, P.L, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1909; Rumsey 4577.026