France – Tallis, John / Rapkin, John. (1817 – 1876).

France – With Vignettes of the Palais Royal, Calais Harbour, Palace of Fontainebleau and the Bridge of Toulouse.

Original steel engraving / Vintage map. Drawn and engraved by John Rapkin. Partly hand-coloured. Illustrations by J. Wray and engravings by J.B. Rogers. London, Edinburgh & Dublin. J & F. Tallis, 1851. Plate Size: 31.5 cm x 25.5 cm. Sheet Size: 37.5 cm x 27.2 cm. Vintage 19th century map in very good condition.

Published in the Illustrated Atlas, And Modern History Of The World Geographical, Political, Commercial & Statistical, Edited By R. Montgomery Martin.
Beautiful map of France with ornate borders from the Victorian era. The political subdivisions delineating France into its departements are colourfully included. The more historic regions are also included on the map: Britany, Normandy, Burgundy etc. Alsace and Lorraine are still part of France when this map was published. France is bordered to the north and east by Belgium and (non-unified) Germany and, further south, by the Alps, and Switzerland and the Kingdom of Piedmont. South of the Pyrenees lies Spain. Across the English Channel is the Ancient Enemy, England. Corsica, in the Mediterranean, is also included on the map. The many famous towns and cities of France, such as Paris, Marseilles and Lyon, are also shown on the map. The French railway system is shown on the map. Relief is depicted through hachuring and the rivers, such as the Loire and the Rhone, are also included.
Two pairs of smartly-dressed French citizens are also depicted.

John Tallis (7 November 1817 – 3 June 1876) was an English cartographic publisher. His company, John Tallis and Company, published views, maps and atlases in London from roughly 1838 to 1851.
Tallis set up as a publisher with Frederick Tallis in Cripplegate in 1842; the business moved to Smithfield in 1846, and was dissolved in 1849. From 1851 to 1854 Tallis operated as John Tallis and Company. He started The illustrated news of the world and national portrait gallery of eminent personages in 1858, selling it for £1,370 in 1861; it folded in 1863. (Wikipedia)

The most important project John Tallis undertook, was the ‘Illustrated Atlas’ from 1851. The original map we offer here, was part of this exceptional Atlas and all the maps it contained are still today considered as the last reminder of an era of lavish map production. Tallis worked the project together with John Rapkin (1815-1876) and it was Rapkin’s style and talent that we have to thank for when we marvel at these maps today. What makes these maps so special is the detail of engraved vignettes that surround the map and often show indigenous scenes, people in their environment and even more so, historical buildings or historical views of towns and cities, architecture and landscape.

The project of ‘The Illustrated Atlas’ was designed to be finished just in time for the anxiously awaited “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations” or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 11 October 1851. It was the first in a series of World’s Fairs, exhibitions of culture and industry that became popular in the 19th century, and it was a much-anticipated event.

The Great Exhibition was organized by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, husband of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria. It was attended by numerous notable figures of the time, including Charles Darwin, Samuel Colt, members of the Orléanist Royal Family and the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, George Eliot and Alfred Tennyson. Music for the opening was under the direction of Sir George Thomas Smart and the continuous music from the exhibited organs for the Queen’s procession was “under the superintendence of William Sterndale Bennett”. (Wikipedia)

• Keywords: 19.Jahrhundert · 19th Century · 19th Century Map · Cartography · Catalogue No.5 – Maps of the World · Europe · French History Rare · French Map(s) · John Tallis Maps · Map · Original Map · Original Maps · Original Steel Engraving · Rare Map – France · Travel France – Rare · Vintage Map · Vintage Old Map
• Language: English
• Inventory Number: 200115AG

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