Antique Geological Survey Map of Surinam 1888 Hand Colored, Rare
€ 650
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1888
Sheet size
39 × 55 cm (15.4 × 21.7 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14171-6
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 original condition. Original fold lines visible as issued. Light overall age toning present. Minor scattered foxing and light edge wear in the margins. No major tears or losses observed. Map remains clean, sharp, and very well preserved.
About this sheet
A geological sketch map of part of the Suriname River, an original color lithograph from Karl Martin's Bericht uber eine Reise nach Niederlandisch West-Indien, published at Leiden by E. J. Brill in 1888. The sheet is titled "Versuch einer geognostischen Karte von einem Theile des Surinam", is lettered "Karte IV" at the upper right, and carries the printer's imprint of P. W. M. Trap, Leiden, at the lower right.
The map is a long horizontal strip that follows the river inland from the Atlantic ("Atlantischer Ocean") at the left, with Paramaribo drawn on the coast and the river traced in heavy black as it winds eastward toward the interior. Its tributaries, rapids and place names are lettered along the banks. The geology is shown only in narrow colored bands along the river, explained in a key on the right, in red and brown for granite, porphyry, diabase and other formations met on the journey. Below it runs a continuous cross-section drawn at the scale of 1:400,000 for lengths and 1:10,000 for heights, which gives the elevation and underlying rocks along the same route.
Because the survey followed the river itself, the map records the route that Martin's expedition actually traveled, not a general survey of the colony's interior.
