Amplissimae Regionis Mississipi

Large and important map of the eastern half of the United States with the French-claimed region of Louisiana in yellow, Spanish Florida in pink, and the English colonies in green. This map is based on a celebrated map by the French cartographer Guillaume De L'Isle and therefore shows Louisiana vastly enlarged compared to the colonies of France's rivals.



The map is dedicated to Father Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan friar who explored the upper reaches of the Mississipp River with La Salle in the 1680s. Hennepin was one of the first Europeans to see Niagara Falls, as well as the Saint Anthony Falls in present-day Minneapolis. He is depicted in the title cartouche (top-left) preaching to Native Americans. A vignette below shows Niagara Falls, as well as an army of beavers constructing a dam. In the lower-right corner is the cartouche for which this map is best known which features two Native Americans alongside a buffalo, or American Bison, one of North America's most iconic creatures.



Original hand-colour. [USA10087]