De L`Isle’s map of North America is considered to be one of
the most important early pieces of cartographic history of the New World. Due
to a series of historical circumstances in the late 17th and early
18th century, the French military, Navy and private enterprise were
the most active players in the exploration and colonisation of much of the
interior of North America and Canada, particularly on the southern coast and
the modern mid-west along the Mississippi River. 

The first edition of this map was issued in 1700 and its
shape was very different from other maps of the continent published to this
date. Some of the geographical information was sourced from Vincenzo Maria
Coronelli’s important map of North America published in 1688 but a great deal
of it was sourced directly from primary sources, including the voyages of
Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, the founder of the Louisiana colony and those of
Louis Hennepin, a Jesuit traveller with Sieur La Salle. Among the improvements
this map makes to the geography of the region is the correction of the
placement of the mouth of the Mississippi from Texas to modern Louisiana and the
separation of the Wabash from the Ohio River. It is also the first to name the
Sargasso Sea. 

More controversially, it is often cited as being the first map
to reconnect California to the mainland. Closer examination of the geography
leaves this claim more open to question. The western coast depicts California
as a curious mixture of an “almost” peninsula which is not connected to the
mainland and which also has a secondary large gulf on its western coast with a
note stating that the location of this gulf is tentative and its extent or
depth is unknown. Unlike many of his contemporaries, de L’Isle was never
convinced of the cartographic evidence for an insular California which was
ultimately cited from a single captured Spanish chart taken by the Dutch in the
early 17th century. In addition, the Society of Jesus had just
published a new set of “Letras” which contained the reports of Father Eusebio
Kino who firmly repudiated the island status of California. Therefore, this
depiction could be viewed as a compromise; not quite separate but not quite
connected. 

Aesthetically, the map is firmly in the French School of
Scientific geography. Despite its illustrative cartouche featuring several mer
people, it is very understated for the time. The emphasis is on the
geographical information and accuracy. Unknown regions are left blank, hence
emphasizing the level of geographical knowledge available for the continent. 

Upon its appearance on the market, this map became hugely
influential. It went through multiple printings by de L`Isle himself and was
copied, both legally and illegally throughout the map trade in Europe during
much of the 18th century. Today, it is perceived as one of the
cornerstone maps of any collection focusing on the United States. 

The example offered for sale is a Dutch edition sold by sold by Covens and Mortier c. 1730, who also add their imprint to the cartouche. Original colour. [AMER2421]