Particularly nice example of Homann’s map of the New World. This is the uncommon first state which shows California as an island. Original hand colour.
Homman founded his firm in 1702 and by 1715, he had been granted the title of Imperial Geographer to Charles VI. From that date, his maps bore his title. He was also granted the imperial privilege which appeared as “cum privilegio” on his maps. This was note of Imperial approval and protection. His major work was published in 1716 as the “Grand Atlas of all the World”. It was very successful and formed the basis on which the Homann firm, in one form or another, functioned until 1852.
After 1715, as he began adding his new titles to his maps, Homann also took the opportunity to revise many of them, including his map of the Americas. The second edition of the map is characterized by the portrayal of California as a peninsula. Due to its appearance in the Grand Atlas, this second edition is relatively more common than the first edition. Our example of the map is the first edition published before the 1715 without the imperial title or privilege. These earlier maps were usually present only in composite atlases, hence their relative rarity.
As mentioned above, the major difference in the two editions is the portrayal of California as an island. It’s shape is geographically based on French sources, namely Nicholas Sanson. The crude portrayal of the Great Lakes as one body of water with several peninsulas is loosely based on Louis Hennepin’s reports collected from French Jesuit missions while he was travelling there and the mythical large lake in the region of Georgia is based on Le Moyne’s report from the late 16th century.
The mysterious continuation of the Pacific northwest beyond California is a feature of maps of this period and reflects several quasi mythical reports of either large islands or land bridges between Asia and North America. These were from Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch sources and even as early as the beginning of the 18th century were beginning to lose credibility.
The basic outline of South America is based on Coronelli’s large two sheet map of the continent and although Homann follows much of Coronelli’s interior detail, there are some unusual new features, such as the omission of the mythical large lake which is often associated with the myth of El Dorado in Guiana and the separation of Tierra del Fuego into two islands.
As ever with Homann, the engraving is superb and the aesthetics rival any maps his Dutch counterparts were issuing contemporaneously. The cartouche is based on Nicholas de Fer’s map of 1699 and the upper cartouche bearing a panel with a brief history of the New World shows figures taken from de L’Isle, Ogilby and de Bry.
Beautiful original colour.