A General View of Lisbon, the capital City of Portugal.

Title

A General View of Lisbon, the capital City of Portugal.

Description

General view of Lisbon in Portugal with sailing ships in front and floral border. Published by J. Cary engraved by Sparrow.

ca. 1783

Artist

Cary (1754-1835)

John Cary (c. 1754 – 1835) was an English cartographer. Cary served his apprenticeship as an engraver in London, before setting up his own business in the Strand in 1783. He soon gained a reputation for his maps and globes, his atlas, The New and Correct English Atlas published in 1787, becoming a standard reference work in England. In 1794 Cary was commissioned by the Postmaster General to survey England's roads. This resulted in Cary's New Itinerary (1798), a map of all the major roads in England and Wales. He also produced Ordnance Survey maps prior to 1805. In his later life he collaborated on geological maps with the geologist William Smith.His business was eventually taken over by G. F. Cruchley (1822–1875).

Historical Description

Saint Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe, with a history of settlement by Phoenicians, Romans, and Moors. In 1147, King Afonso I captured the city during the Christian Reconquista. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Lisbon became Portugal's principal port and a leading center of European maritime trade in the Age of Discovery. The devastating earthquake of 1755 destroyed much of the city, which was subsequently rebuilt under the direction of the Marquis of Pombal according to modern urban planning principles. Today, Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and the country's political, economic, and cultural center.