Plan of the City an Harbour of Toulon. / Plate LXXX.

Title

Plan of the City an Harbour of Toulon. / Plate LXXX.

Description

Map depicts the city and harbour of Toulon as a fortified military and naval port, featuring a decorative title cartouche and a compass rose.

ca. 1793

Artist

Jefferys Thomas (1719-1771)

Thomas Jefferys "Geographer to King George III", was an English cartographer who was the leading map supplier of his day. He engraved and printed maps for government and other official bodies and produced a wide range of commercial maps and atlases, especially of North America

Historical Description

Toulon is a historic port city on the Mediterranean coast of southern France. Toulon was already an important port in antiquity. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the city developed into a major military and naval port of France. Toulon became particularly important under Louis XIV, who greatly expanded the harbor and its fortifications. In 1793, the Siege of Toulon took place during the French Revolution, when the city was recaptured by Republican forces. During the siege, the young Napoleon Bonaparte made a name for himself as an artillery officer. Today, Toulon is one of France’s most important naval ports and a major center on the French Mediterranean coast.