Ornate 1850s Map of South America: A Masterpiece of Exploration & Art by Rapkin
€ 260
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Sheet size
36.2 × 27.8 cm (14.3 × 10.9 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13999-10
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
Considering age, with vibrant engraving detail and minimal wear. Centrefold crease as issued with small split on the right side, outside the image. Study the images carefully.
About this sheet
South America, an original steel-engraved decorative map from a Tallis atlas of the 1850s, drawn and engraved by J. Rapkin and published by J. & F. Tallis of London, Edinburgh and Dublin. The imprint at the foot credits the illustrations to J. Marchant, engraved by J. Rogers, and the map to Rapkin. The old description names the source as Tallis's The History of the United States of America from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.
The continent is shown with outline color for each country, rivers and mountain ranges drawn in fine detail, and Brazil, the Guianas, Peru, Chile and the River Plate lettered across it. The border is a band of floral scrollwork, and the title "South America" stands in a scrolled cartouche at the top. Vignettes fill the margins: a condor and llamas of Peru at the left, a view of Valparaiso, a group of figures in native dress at the lower left, a scene in the tropical forest with a rope bridge at the upper right, a Brazilian province scene on the right, and a view of Rio Janeiro at the lower right.
The Tallis atlas maps with their engraved vignettes were among the most decorative maps of their day, and the pictures chosen here show the animals, peoples and ports a Victorian reader would have associated with South America.
