Rare French counterfeit rebuttal of Jefferys’ 1755 French and Indian War map

Description

This unusual map was separately published in France, in 1757. It depicts most of the eastern part of North America, bound by the Hudson Bay, Newfoundland, the Atlantic, northern Florida, and the Mississippi. A large inset of the North Atlantic at lower right shows the routes from France, Spain, and Portugal to North America and the Caribbean.

The map is – except for the inset – an anonymous copy of, and response to, Thomas Jefferys’ 1755 map North America From the French of Mr. D’Anville Improved with the Back Settlements of Virginia and Course of Ohio Illustrated with Geographical and Historical Remarks.

Both maps relate to the French and Indian War, which had started in 1754. At its centre were disputes over trade and territorial claims in North America, between the colonial powers of Great Britain and France, fought about together with their respective Native American allies. Of particular focus were the Ohio River Valley, with initial conflict triggered by French fort construction (Fort Duquesne, noted on the map as “F.[ort] du Quesne bati par les Franc en 1754”) at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers (forming the Ohio River in present-day Pittsburgh), and lands to both sides of the Mississippi, at the time largely unsettled but claimed by both Great Britain and France.

Correspondingly, Jefferys’ map attacks the French (listing “French Incroachments [sic]”) and makes territorial claims in favour of the British, while the present anonymous map does the same in reverse, i.e. defending French claims (noting “pretensions of the English”) and threatening the British (with “consequence”), as noted in the decorative rococo-style title cartouche.

While the French and Indian War was only a partial contributor to the global Seven Years’ War, which had started in 1756, the formal outcome of the latter, as reflected in the Treaty of Paris (1763), redefined the borders in North America. One of the key parts of this was France ceding all its territorial claims and possessions in North America, with the only small exception (to this day) being the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

The map is exceptionally rich in detail. It includes the following notable features:

• Relief is depicted pictorially.
• Rivers, lakes, settlements, and administrative divisions are shown in much detail and named, where applicable.
• Various annotations communicate a range of information, including fertile soil, mines, historic developments, and treaty boundaries.
• Numerous Native North American peoples are named throughout, including Mascouten (Mascoutins), Myaamia (Miyamis), Outagamie (Outagamis), and Odawa (Outaouacs), to name but a few.
• While Virginia and North Carolina extend to the west beyond the Mississippi, overlapping with Louisiana, the border of South Carolina aligns with it.
• Within North Carolina, the reference to “Earl Granvilles Property” (as per Jeffery’s map) has been removed, but, curiously, the respective borderline has been retained.

The title cartouche contains reference to Thomas Jefferys but misspells his name as “Gefferys”.

Several text panels provide a “Historical description of North America” from a French perspective.

An additional note at the end of the bottom text panel advises that the map’s “projection does not allow for a particular scale to be used” and suggests using the known distance between parallels as a workaround.

The map is aligned to the El Hierro (Ferro) prime meridian.

A scarce map documenting an important period in the history of North America.

Rarity

The map is rather rare on the market. We are able to trace only four sales by dealers and auction houses over the last 40 years.

Condition

Very good.

A sharp impression on strong, watermarked paper, issued folding. Early colouring in outline. Light dampstaining, mostly confined to upper margin. Two small spots in left half (one confined to blank margin). Light printer’s crease at top left. Minor chipping at top right blank margin.

Item #: 02947

US $3,800.00

other currencies