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Novissima et accuratissima totius Americae description
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| Title | Novissima et accuratissima totius Americae description |
| Detailed view (zoom) | http://content.lib.washington.edu/mapsweb/images/Viewer/1_G3290_1670_W5.html |
| Cartographer | Wit, Frederik de, 1610-1698
Visscher, Nicolaes, 1618-1679
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| Century Published | 17th century
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| Publication Date | 1670 |
| Publisher | Wit, Frederik de 1610-1698
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| Place of Publication | Netherlands--Amsterdam |
| Original Source | "Atlas Major." Wit, Frederick de. Amsterdam: Frederick de Wit, 1690. |
| Descriptive Notes | Copper engraving handcolored with ink.
Outline color.
Printed in lower left corner in cartouche:
"Novissima et Accuratissima Totius Americae Descriptio. Per F. De Wit. Amstelodami."
Printed in upper left corner in cartouche surrounded by angels:
"America. Nomen nabet ab Americo Vesputio, Florentino, qui Emanuelis Portgalie Regis auspiciis. á Gadibus, Anno 1497 profectus primus ex Europaeis, quantum auidem constat, eam ingressus est. Quanquam prior christophorus Columbus, Genuensis, Anno 1492. Jussu Ferdinandi, Regis Castellae, Insulas Americae Hispaniolam, Cubam et Iamaicam detexerit."
Depicts California as an island and shows two seas labeled "Mare Vermio" and "Mare Rubrum" between California and the west coast of North America, Of note, "Nova Francia" or land belonging to France stretches from the west coast of North America to the east coast and up to Canada. British possession is seen only in Terra Labrador in Canada marked under "Nova Britagnia." The Canary Islands, the Cabo Verde islands and the Azores are displayed prominently off the coast of Africa.
The map depicts various animals in the midwest and western section of North America. Surrounding the title cartouche in lower left corner is a scene depicting natives showing obeyance and offering goods and services to their ruler who wears a crown of feathers. Within South America in "Brasilia, " an image of two native tribes at war and a native village appear. Four figures surround the cartouche describing America, one an angel, one who is holding a cross, one who appears to be a depiction of evil and another wearing a native headdress.
Scale: 1:35, 000, 000. |
| Contextual Notes | Frederik de Wit (1610-1698) was a major Dutch cartographer and publisher in Amsterdam. He founded his business in 1648 and produced a number of wall maps, world atlases, sea charts, and "town books" throughout the seventeenth century. In 1674, he purchased a few Blaeu map plates and later purchased some of Jannson's plates. His work was very popular and he became well-known for his attractive engraving and coloring. His works include "Atlases" (c.a. 1670), "Atlas Minor" (1670), "Zee Atlas" (1675), "Atlas Belgium" (1666-7), "Atlas Major" (1690) and "Orbis Maritimus ofte Zee Atlas" (1675) (Moreland and Bannister, 115; Tooley 670).
This map was first produced in the 1670s, following an earlier map from a different plate published in 1660 (Burden, 458). Here de Wit shows that France has all the land between "Southern Labrador and Florida" and "with the exception of New Foundland, English claims along the east coast are ignored" (Portinaro and Knirsch, 190-1). The map is a combination of multiple sources including knowledge of California as an island from Luke Foxe (Burden, 458). The map was originally created by another catographer, Nicolaes Visscher which shows the original illustration of the natives forewards rather than backwards as depicted in this map. Tooley also notes that this map shows the Great Lakes, two of which are open (Tooley 120, entry 30).
Source(s): Burden, Philip D. "The Mapping of North America: A List of Printed Maps 1511-1670." Rickmansworth, England: Raleigh Publications, 1996.
Leighly, John. "California as an Island: An Illustrated Essay." San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1972.
McLaughlin, Glen and Nancy H. Mayo. "The Mapping of California as an Island: An Illustrated Checklist." Saratoga, CA: California Map Society, 1995.
Moreland, Carl and David Bannister. "Antique Maps: A Collector's Handbook." New York: Longman Group, Ltd., 1983.
Portinaro, Pierluigi and Franco Knirsch. "The Cartography of North America 1500-1800." New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987.
Tooley, Ronald Vere. "Chapter 3: California as an Island: A Geographic Misconception Illustrated by 100 Examples from 1625 to 1770." In "The Mapping of America." Ed. by Ronald Vere Tooley. London: Holland Press, 1985. 110-134.
---. "Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers." Hertfordshire: Map Collector Publications Limited, 1979.
Wheat, Carl I. "Mapping the Transmississippi West." Volume 1. San Francisco: Institute of Historical Cartography, 1957.
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| Language | Latin |
| Category | Cartographic Curiosa
California as an Island
Quivira
Mythical Places
Historical Illustrated Scene
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| Location Depicted | Western Hemisphere
North America
South America
Central America
Mexico
West Indies
Pacific Ocean
California
Canada
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| Subjects (LCSH) | America--Maps--Early works to 1800 |
| Digital Collection | World and Regional Maps, 16th to the 19th centuries
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| Digital ID Number | MAP176 |
| Ordering Information | For information about digital reproductions, please email photos@u.washington.edu. Please cite the Digital ID number. |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division.
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| Repository Collection | Rare Map Collection. G3290 1670 W5 |
| Object Type | Map
Engraving |
| Physical Description | handcolored ; 49 x 58 cm. |
| Condition | Browning throughout map. Small tear in bottom edge . Small tear along centefold at top. Attempt at repair of this tear with small piece of tape. Small tears in top and left edge near upper left corner. Has binder's guard. Colored ink stains from recto visible on verso as brown stains. Call number written in pencil in lower left corner on verso. |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original map at 600 dpi in TIFF format, resized and enhanced at 400 ppi using Adobe Photoshop, and imported as JPEG2000 using ContentDM's software JPEG2000 Extension. 2008. |
| References | Burden, 458. McLaughlin and Mayo, 24-5, entry 49. Portinaro and Knirsch, 190-1. Tooley, "California as an Island" 120, entry 30. Wheat, 52. |
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