France in Provinces, Antique Map of the Old Regime Provinces, 1845

About this sheet

This antique map of 1845 shows France not in its revolutionary departments but in its historic provinces, the great territorial divisions of the old regime, each one bounded in a separate band of hand applied color. Bretagne, Normandie, Picardie, Flandre, Champagne, Lorraine and Alsace run across the north; Bourgogne, Franche Comte, Dauphine, Provence and Languedoc down the east and the Mediterranean coast; Poitou, Guyenne, Gascogne, Angoumois, Limosin, Auvergne and Marche across the center and the south west; and Isle de France, Orleanois, Touraine, Anjou and Berry in the middle. The provincial boundaries are drawn in red, green, blue, purple and yellow so that the whole country reads as a patchwork. Savoy and Nice are shown outside the kingdom, the Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Gulf of Lyon are lettered, and four scales of leagues and miles run beneath the title.

The plate comes from Maps of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, in the new edition corrected to the present time that Charles Knight and Company published at 22 Ludgate Street, London, in 1845, whose first volume covers Europe. The Society was founded in 1826 by Henry Brougham and his circle to publish useful knowledge at a low price. Its maps were issued in parts from 1829, first by Baldwin and Cradock, from 1842 by Chapman and Hall and then by Charles Knight, and the series grew to about two hundred maps. Most of them were engraved on steel by John and Charles Walker, and the outline color was applied by hand.

The plate is signed by J. and C. Walker as engravers. The imprint at the foot names Charles Knight and Company of 22 Ludgate Street, London.

Moderate overall age toning, with the paper darker along the right and bottom edges, foxing through the margins, one or two spots larger than the rest, stains in the margins and handling wear to the bottom left corner.

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.