Antique Map of Turkey in Asia by Migeon (1884)

Description: Antique map of Turkey titled 'Turquie d'Asie et les Provinces du Caucase'. This map covers from the Crimea south to Egypt, west as far as the Aegean, and east to the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The map essentially covers the mid-19th century claims of the Ottoman empire, including the modern nations of Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Israel or Palestine, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, with parts of adjacent Iran, Greece, egypt and Ukraine. The lower left quadrant includes a beautiful illustration of Smyrne (the ancient city of Smyrna). The map dates to the last days of the Ottoman empire, whose influence, though rapidly declining, dominated much of the Middle east. Various rivers, islands, mountain passes and other topographical features are identified. Migeon's Geographie Universelle, published in Paris, is one of the last great decorative atlases of the 19th century. It contains many stylistic elements of early 19th century cartography such as full hand coloring, numerous decorative vignettes, and high quality paper.

Artists and Engravers: J. Migeon (fl. c. 1855 - 1899) was a late 19th century map publisher based in Paris, France. His most prominent publications are the Geographie Universal in 1854 (updated through 1874) and the Nouvel Atlas Illustré de Géographie Universelle in 1891. Little is known of Migeon's life and even his first name is uncertain.