THE FIRST MAP TO SHOW PITTSBURGH (FORT DU QUESNE) VAN KEULEN, GERARD, Carte de la Nouvelle France on se voit le cours des Grandes Rivieres de S.Laurens & Mississippi... chez la Veuve de Jo. van Keulen & Fils..., 1720/1755. 22 3/4” x 39”. Two sheets joined. Copper-engraving with original outline and spot color. The rare second edition of van Keulen’s two-sheet map of North America, which first appeared in 1720. This edition has numerous changes to the plate including the addition of several French forts west of the Allegheny Mountains. One of these is Fort du Quesne, which became the city of Pittsburgh. Established in 1754, this edition of the map was published the next year, making this the first map known to name the fort. The map is significant as the only land map of America issued by the powerful publishing firm of Van Keulen, which produced some of the most important sea charts of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ambitious in both scope and detail, the map encompasses more territory than traditional French maps of Canada, extending west through New Mexico, where French claims reach the Rio Grande. Legends record information on settlements, forts, Indian tribes, and routes and trails used in exploration. There are two large inset maps showing the Louisiana Gulf coast and the mouth of the Mississippi River. Only eight British colonies are indicated. Information from De Fer and De L’Isle on the Great Lakes and Mississippi has been refined and recorded here in more elaborate detail. This rare second edition of the map can be dated with certainty from the information within the cartouche, Chez la Veuve de Jo. van Keulen & Fils, which only appears on maps published in 1755. While the first edition is a great rarity; this second edition is almost unknown. Gerard was the son of Johannes Van Keulen by his first marriage and arguably the most talented member of the family. “He was a skilful engraver and proficient in mathematics and navigational science. Gerard was responsible for establishing the scientific basis of the firm of Van Keulen. His father had lacked the qualifications to make a personal contribution in the scientific field,” -- Koeman. In 1704 Gerard joined the bookseller’s guild and ten years later was appointed Hydrographer to the powerful Dutch East India Company -- an honor that was never bestowed upon his father. “Gerard gave a new impetus to the firm. Unfortunately he did not live long, dying prematurely when he was 49.” He was succeeded in business by his widow Ludwina, and later by his son, Johannes II. The firm would remain in the Van Keulen family until 1823 -- 145 years after its founding. References: Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici IV, p. 387; Sellers & Van Ee, #178 (which incorrectly dates the map at 1782). Suggested Retail: $29,000. A serious offer will get a response! Stock # RT11702

Antique Paper Items
Antique Maps