Carte du Canda qui Comprend la Partie Septentrionale des Etats Unis d´Amerique…

Title

Carte du Canda qui Comprend la Partie Septentrionale des Etats Unis d´Amerique…

Map shows Canada with the great lakes and partly Greenland. Splendid map, historically described as the second decauche printing of the map of De L'Isle and the first state in which the United States is named and the name United States (Etats-Unis) appears earliest on a printed map. It is worth noting that there are two different states of this 1783 "Etats Unis" map. The second has the crown at the top of the cartouche and the royal fleur-de-lis below it, as well as the words "du Roi" removed from the title, suggesting a change to the copper plate by Dezauche after the French Revolution and most likely during the First French Republic (1792-1795), inspired in part by the American Revolution. Curiously, the notation "avec privilege du Roy" at the bottom of the cartouche remains unchanged. Equally noteworthy, the map contains one of the earliest references to the Rocky Mountains, the "Riviere Longue," and other features in the west, based on the reports of Louis Armand de Lom d'Arce, Baron de Lahontan. Lahontan traveled extensively in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the upper Mississippi Valley. Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce (1666 - 1716), also known as Baron de Lahontan, was a French officer and traveler in the French colonies of North America. During his time in New France, he visited every nook and cranny, probably visited hitherto little explored areas around the Mississippi River, twice participated in the successful defense of English attacks. On the other hand, he left no major mark on the New World. Except for his last stay at Placentia, he was hardly mentioned in official correspondence. But with his works published in his later years, based on his diary and notes, he brought North America to Europe and became one of the most widely read authors in the first half of the 18th century.

ca. 1792

Artist

L´Isle, de /Covens & Mortier