John & Carington Bowles
A Map of Africa, 1770
19 ½ x 23 in
50 x 58 cm
50 x 58 cm
Large map of Africa showing the extent of European knowledge in the mid-18th century. Much of the interior of the continent remains entirely 'unknown', though the author has attempted to...
Large map of Africa showing the extent of European knowledge in the mid-18th century. Much of the interior of the continent remains entirely 'unknown', though the author has attempted to divide the continent into its general regions and kingdoms. This map is a reduced version of J.B.B. D'Anville's ground-breaking map of Africa which only included features known by D'Anville to be true. He is often considered the first truly scientific cartographer.
A table in the lower-left corner lists the European colonies, some of which are described by small snippets of text on the map. Ascension Island, for example, is described thus: "Here the English ships refresh coming home from E. India & the mariners leave theire letters corked up in a bottle". The island of Socotra (off the coast of Somalia and Yemen) is amusingly described as the source of the "best aloes".
Original hand-colour. [AFR6022]
A table in the lower-left corner lists the European colonies, some of which are described by small snippets of text on the map. Ascension Island, for example, is described thus: "Here the English ships refresh coming home from E. India & the mariners leave theire letters corked up in a bottle". The island of Socotra (off the coast of Somalia and Yemen) is amusingly described as the source of the "best aloes".
Original hand-colour. [AFR6022]
