Dept. du Lot.

Title

Dept. du Lot.

Description

Decorative hand-colored map showing the Cahors region, the Lot department, with a magnificent border depicting the land and its people. Above is a coat of arms, with a map index on the left and right.

ca. 1850

Artist

Lemercier / Levasseur (1800-1870)

Cadastre of the War and Bridge Department by V. Levasseur, Geographer Engineer attached to the Cadastre and the City of Paris. Huge Parisian firm of lithographic printers founded by Joseph Rose Lemercier (1803-1887), who began as the foreman for Langlumé in 1825. Working on his own account from 1827, 1829-36 in partnership with Bénard association formed in 1837 according to IFF catalogue for Joseph Lemercier. The firm was still active in 1841.

Historical Description

Midi-Pyrénées is a historical region in the south of France near the Pyrenees on the border with Spain. Since the administrative reform of 2016, the area has been part of the region Occitanie. The region was culturally and economically important for a long time. In the Middle Ages, the city of Toulouse played a particularly important role. It was the center of the County of Toulouse and an important trading and cultural center in southern France. The region was also influenced by the religious movement of the Cathars and was strongly affected by conflicts during the Albigensian Crusade in the 13th century. In the following centuries, Midi-Pyrénées developed into an important agricultural region. Because of its location between France and Spain, it also played a role in trade across the Pyrenees. Today, the region is known for its historic architecture, its nature in the Pyrenees, and religious pilgrimage sites such as the Sanctuary of Lourdes. In addition, Toulouse is now an important center for the aerospace industry.