About this sheet
Original antique decorative map of the French department of Hautes-Pyrénées, published in Paris around 1850 by the distinguished cartographer Alexandre Vuillemin.
The map was issued as part of Vuillemin’s acclaimed atlas La France Illustrée, celebrated for combining detailed regional cartography with historical portraits, heraldry, traditional costumes and picturesque landscape views.
Numbered 64, the map depicts the department’s towns, villages, roads, rivers and administrative divisions. Selected boundaries and principal routes are enhanced with original hand colouring.
Prominent places shown include Tarbes, Lourdes, Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Argelès-Gazost, Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Barèges, Gavarnie, Saint-Lary, Campan, Trie-sur-Baïse, Lannemezan, Maubourguet, Vic-en-Bigorre, Rabastens-de-Bigorre, Pierrefitte-Nestalas and numerous smaller communities.
The decorative composition includes a portrait of Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, the celebrated military surgeon who served with Napoleon’s armies. Further embellishments include the historic arms of Tarbes, a panoramic view of Tarbes, a traditional Pyrenean figure and an engraved view titled Chapelle d’Arrens.
Hautes-Pyrénées is renowned for the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, the Cirque de Gavarnie, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre and its dramatic mountain scenery. Historic spa towns such as Cauterets, Barèges and Bagnères-de-Bigorre have attracted visitors for generations.
The region is also associated with Madiran wine, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Porc Noir de Bigorre, Haricot Tarbais, Tomme des Pyrénées and the traditional dishes garbure and gâteau à la broche.
An attractive historical map for collectors of French cartography, Pyrenean landscapes, Napoleonic history, pilgrimage destinations and nineteenth-century decorative engravings.
This is an original antique engraving and not a modern reproduction. It is offered unframed. Any framed images are shown for presentation and interior inspiration only.
Technique: Engraving with original hand colouring
Maker: Alexandre Vuillemin
Place of Publication: Paris, France
Date: Circa 1850
Source: La France Illustrée
Department: Hautes-Pyrénées, plate number 64
Region: Historic Bigorre, Occitanie, southwestern France
Condition:
Good antique condition with general age-related toning, scattered foxing, light creasing and minor handling marks. Small stains and marginal wear are visible in places. The original hand-coloured boundaries remain attractive and clearly visible. Wear is consistent with age and use. Please examine the images carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
Keywords:
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