French Colonies in the Caribbean: Maps of Martinique and Guadeloupe (1852)
€ 330
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1852
Sheet size
36 × 54 cm (14.2 × 21.3 in)
Reference
BG-13618-7 and BG-13618-8
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Good, given age. Overall light foxing. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.
About this sheet
Martinique and Guadeloupe, two French colonial maps from the Atlas Universel Illustré, 1852, each titled "Colonies Françaises" at the foot. They are original steel engravings with hand-colored borders, and each sheet is surrounded by an engraved decorative scene.
The Martinique sheet shows the island as a large map unrolled across the page like a curling sheet of paper, with roads and towns marked in red and the coast outlined, set among tropical growth: palm trees at the right, a stone bust on a pedestal and rocks and leaves at the left, with a printed text panel of statistics at the left margin. The Guadeloupe sheet places the map at the center with its dependencies, Marie-Galante, the Saintes and Désirade, in the same frame, flanked by two round vignettes, one of a plantation scene and one of a figure, with large palm fronds and tropical plants framing the sides and standing figures of colonial workers at the lower corners.
These pairs of vignettes and maps were typical of French atlases of the period, which combined cartography with scenes of local trade, plants and people to show the colonies' produce and its place in the empire.
