Virginiae partis australis, et Floridae partis orientalis, interjacentiumq regionum Nova descriptio.

Title

Virginiae partis australis, et Floridae partis orientalis, interjacentiumq regionum Nova descriptio.

Description

Map shows the east coast of the US with decorative til´tle cartouche, coat of arms and offshore ships.

ca. 1630

Artist

Blaeu (1571-1638)

Joan Guilliemus Blaeu was the eldest son of Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638), and was probably born in Alkmaar in the province of Noord-Holland in the final years of the 16th century. He was brought up in Amsterdam, and studied law at the University of Leiden before going into partnership with his father in the 1630s. Although his father Willem had cartographic interests, having studied under the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and having manufactured globes and instruments, his primary business was as a printer. It was under the control of Joan that the Blaeu printing press achieved lasting fame by moving towards the printing of maps and expanding to become the largest printing press in Europe in the 17th century. By the 1660s the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (or Atlas Maior as it had became known by this time) had expanded to between 9 and 12 volumes, depending on the language. With over 3,000 text pages and approximately 600 maps, it was the most expensive book money could buy in the later 17th century. The translation of the text from Latin into Dutch, English, German, French, and Spanish for several volumes created enormous work for those involved in typography and letterpress activities. It is estimated that over 80 men must have been employed full-time in the Blaeu printing house in Bloemgracht, not including engravers who worked elsewhere, with over 15 printing presses running simultaneously, and in 1667 a second press was acquired at Gravenstraat. At the same time as producing the Atlas Maior, Blaeu was also publishing town plans of Italy, maps for globes, and other volumes. At its peak the Blaeu press managed to produce over 1 million impressions from 1,000 copper plates within four years.

Historical Description

Virginia received its name in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England from Walter Raleigh during his expedition in 1584, when he founded the first settlement on Roanoke Island.Of the native peoples of Virginia, the best known are the Powhatan belonging to the Virginia Algonkin who lived near the coast. Other groups included Nottaway and Meherrin, members of the Iroquois family, southwest of them, Monacan and Saponi, members of the Sioux family, who lived in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and Cherokee in the far west of the state. The first attempts at settlement by the English took place in Virginia. However, these first attempts were not made by the English government, but by a company called the Virginia Company, which founded the Jamestown settlement in 1607. At that time the English government lacked the money to finance such expensive and unsafe expeditions. Initially, the attempts to colonize were only moderately successful. During the English Powhatan Wars, the colony came under severe pressure. The year 1612 was an economically very important year. John Rolfe planted the first tobacco plant, which he had probably brought from Trinidad, in Virginia. Due to the hot and humid climate and the help of the indigenous population, the tobacco plants thrive splendidly. Rolfe, who had married an indigenous woman named Pocahontas in 1614, made his way to England in 1616 with the first batch of tobacco, where he was a resounding success. In 1617 he returned to Virginia to continue growing tobacco, but without Pocahontas, who had died in England. Rolfe had triggered the first boom in the new English world. As the home of many founding fathers, particularly Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, James Madison, George Mason and George Washington, Virginia played a prominent role in the American independence movement.