Antique Plan of Geneva with Environs Inset and Lakeside View, 1847

About this sheet

This is an original antique city plan of Geneva, steel engraved and published in the atlas of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. The plan shows the fortified town where the Rhone leaves the lake, with the cathedral on its hill, the bastions still complete around the landward side and the island in the river. An inset gives the environs of Geneva running out to the Saleve and the Jura, and a view of the city from the water sits on the sheet. The outline and water coloring is original hand color, applied by the publisher before the sheet was bound into the volume.

It carries plate number 180 and belongs to the third volume of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge atlas, the volume given over to plans of cities, the stars and the index to places, published by Charles Knight of 22 Ludgate Street in London in 1847. Knight took over the Society's map series and reissued it corrected, so the plates carry a range of dates within one set. The plate is lettered as engraved by B. R. Davies.

Geneva is drawn here in the last years before its bastions were demolished and the quays and parks of the modern lakeside city were laid out in their place, so the plan is the last clear picture of the walled republic. Swiss sheets from this series come up less often than the big capitals, and this one carries both an inset and a view. Framed simply in dark wood or a plain gilt frame it suits a study, a hallway or a dining room, and it is a natural gift for anyone with a tie to the place.

Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the bottom, left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. All four corners complete.

This is an original antique map, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.