DESCRIPTION: SOLD
Similar to, but substantially different from Bellin's later chart of Pensacola, Florida. A rare, early (1728) chart of Pensacola Bay and Escambia Bay by Father Antoine Laval. Laval's chart could be considered a foundational map for collectors as it is the first detailed printed chart of the area. The three attributes of the map that differ most between Laval's map of 1728 and Bellin's later 1744 map are:
- Number of depth soundings. (Laval has many more soundings.)
- Number of places named. (Bellin has more names.)
- Alignment of Santa Rosa Island. (Laval's chart does not show the curvature that Bellin's later chart proposes.)
This map was included in the report of French astronomer Father Antoine Laval: "Journal d'un voyage de la Louisiane", an account of the 1720 expedition to the Florida and Louisiana coasts led by Valette Laudun. Laval is recorded as mathematician or astronomer on that voyage. The account included astronomical observations taken by Laval from a point on nearby Dauphin Island. (Source: oldmaps.com) From 1718 Laval was a Royal Professor of Hydrography based in the city of Toulon, France.
Boran explains the historical context for viewing Laval’s decision to provide his readers with a map of Pensacola:
"… should be viewed in the light of military and political developments in France during the period 1718-1720. The War of the Quadruple Alliance had broken out in 1718 and Pensacola, was now deemed a strategic target (presumably because of its proximity to their base at Dauphin Island). In May 1719 the Lemoyne brothers ... took the port for the French. The Company of the West … decided to move their headquarters to Pensacola, given its potential as a port." (Boran, Elizabethanne. Travelling to Louisiana in 1720. Online: edwardworthlibrary.ie).
PUBLICATION DATE: 1728
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States
BODY OF WATER: Gulf of Mexico
CONDITION: Very good.
On heavy, solid laid paper. A good impression. Washed and flattened. Top edge rough and chipped with small repaired marginal tear away from image. A few tiny spots.
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER:
SIZE: 8
" x
6 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 0
PRICE: $
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