Late printing of Guillaume de L’Isle’s important map of Mexico, the Caribbean and the United States. Revised and updated by Jean Claude Dezauche with key political developments.

This venerable map was originally issued by Guillaume de L’Isle in 1700 and was very important when first published, showing much new information. It went through multiple printings both when de L’Isle was alive and under his successor, Philippe Buache. In 1780 Jean Nicholas Buache, heir to Philippe, sold de l’Isle’s copper plates to Dezauche , who proceeded to update and revise them.

Dezauche re-issued this map in 1783, the year of the Treaty of Paris which settled the hostilities of the American Revolutionary War. Dezauche, no doubt with a keen commercial eye, issued this map with important political divisions, reflecting the territories of the newly independent United States, here outlined in green. These territories were on the eastern coast of the continent, with the Mississippi River acting as a natural border with the Spanish west. The southern border reached as far south as Georgia bordering with Spanish Florida while the north border abutted Canada, which was British. The map also shows the remains of French territory, which is on the Caribbean islands.

There is a small key to the colouring of the map to the left of the cartouche situated on the lower left corner.

Bearing in mind that the Treaty was signed in the same year, this must be one of the earliest maps to delineate the newly nascent United States. 

Original colour. [USA9914]