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(Click the thumb nail to see a larger image)
| Pub Year | Map Maker | Pub Place | Map Title | Map Price (USD) | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | Bradford, Thomas Gamaliel | Boston | Tennessee | $300 | Picture |
Engraved by G.W. Boynton with hand-colored outlines. Size: Approximately 36 cm x 29 cm (14.1 inches x 11.4 inches). Scale 1 inch = 25 miles Map Type: Atlas A 1.5 inch tear from the margin into the image near the southwest corner of the state has been expertly repaired.Taken from An Illustrated Atlas, Geographical, Statistical, And Historical, Of The United States And The Adjacent Countries.
T.G. Bradford served as an assistant editor of the America Encyclopedia before entering the field of atlas publishing with his first work published in 1835. G.W. Boynton operated an engraving shop in Boston between 1830 and 1845.
With the financial success of his 1835 A Comprehensive Atlas..., Bradford was able to update his maps, enlarge them and add a descriptive text to each. For map hungry Americans, these were attractive features to those interested in migrating during the burgeoning western expansion of the United States.
This map is from the 1st edition of An Illustrated Atlas.... considered by most to be Bradford's best atlas, far superior to the smaller and more crudely drawn 1835 Comprehensive Atlas.
This early map of Tennessee displays the location of each county courthouse, along with the roads, rivers, creeks, lakes, and other topographical features. The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, is identified.
Of particular note is "Old Fort Pickering" near present day Memphis. In September 1809, Meriwether Lewis was enroute to Washington with trunks of papers documenting the famous Lewis expedition with William Clark. Upon his arrival at Fort Pickering, Lewis heard that that the British were patrolling the Gulf of Mexico. Though ill, he feared that the precious papers would fall into British hands, so he set out from Fort Pickering via an overland route for Washington. He died under mysterious circumstances in early October, 1809 and is buried near Mt. Pleasant in Maury county seen in this interesting map of Tennessee.
References: A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress, 1381, Phillips, P.L, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1909; Rumsey List No. 0089; American Maps and Mapmakers, p270-271, Ristow, George, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1985
