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C1850
Australia from Surveys made by order of the British Government Combined with those of D’Entrecasteaux, Baudin, Freycinet &c.&c.
Mapmaker:
Arrowsmith’s important pair of maps of Australia on two sheets, recording the extent of settlement and the progress of inland exploration up to 1850. Arrowsmith cleverly issued these maps so that they could be sold either as single sheets or … Read Full Description
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Full Title:
Australia from Surveys made by order of the British Government Combined with those of D’Entrecasteaux, Baudin, Freycinet &c.&c.
Date:
C1850
Mapmaker:
Condition:
In good condition, centre fold as issued.
Technique:
Copper engraving with original hand colouring
Image Size:
620mm
x 510mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1850
Description:
Arrowsmith’s important pair of maps of Australia on two sheets, recording the extent of settlement and the progress of inland exploration up to 1850.
Arrowsmith cleverly issued these maps so that they could be sold either as single sheets or joined as one map.
Each sheet is printed with a separate title, the left sheet has a large generic title referring to the entire continent while the right sheet has been given a much more specific and smaller title. In this way both sheets could be trimmed at the 134th meridian east, where Arrowsmith added ‘joining line‘ to both maps but on opposite sides of the meridian. Additionally, only the right sheet has been update with inland information for South Australia, which would be retained when joined.
Twenty-six counties are shown in Western Australia, numbered and listed in the table at lower left. The results of John Septimus Roe’s 1848-1849 explorations, south and east of Perth, south coast as far east as the Russell Range and north to 32°30’S, then north and west back to Perth, have been added to this issue. Of all the maps which Arrowsmith published of Australia, this one records the most change, particularly in the south-eastern part of the map which was the area that had the most economic interest for farming. The
routes of John Edward Eyre 1839-1840, Paul Edmond Strzelecki 1840,
Ludwig Leichhardt 1844-45, Thomas Livingstone Mitchell 1845-47, Edmund
Besley Court Kennedy 1847-1848.
The depiction of the South Australia/Western Australia boundary becomes significant from this 1850 issue onwards. Twenty-one states of the east sheet have been seen and there may be more.
References:
Prescott 1850/1, Tooley 85, p.14
John Arrowsmith (1790 - 1873)
English mapmaker, the last of a family of map makers that produced maps during the period 1790 to 1870. His uncle Aaron (1750 - 1823) left the north of England and went to work in London as a land surveyor where he surveyed the Great Post Roads between London and Falmouth which was engraved and published by John Cary an engraver in 1782 (Verner, 1971, p.1). In the 1790s he decided to establish his own map making business. He published about 200 maps and achieved great eminence being appointed Hydrographer to the King in 1820. John Arrowsmith, Aaron's nephew, who was born in Winston, county Durham, England (1790 - 1873) came to work for him in 1810. During the next thirteen years he learned from his uncle the art of map making, including engraving and printing. His two cousins, Aaron junior (1802-54) and Samuel (1805-39) (Verner, 1971, p.2) both worked in the business and inherited jointly the house, business, copper plates, presses etc. as stated in their father's will. By the time of his uncle's death John had established his own business which operated out of 33 East Street, Red Lion Square, although he still worked with his two cousins Aaron and Samuel. All three produced individual works, although Samuel was in charge of the business at 10 Soho Square. Aaron the younger, lost interest in map making and ceased producing maps in 1832 (Verner, 1971, p.2). In 1839 Samuel died and John bought the business including plates, MSS and copyrights at auction of December 1839 (Herbert, 1983) and continued operating from 10 Soho Square. In 1834 he produced his magnum opus, The London Atlas of Universal Geography, which he continued to revise and reissue until the last 1858 edition. However his atlas contains maps of later dates into the 60s (Herbert, 1989). He became a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society in London (1830) and a member of its council. He remained an active member for over forty years during which time he met many explorers and persons of influence who were instrumental in supplying him with information for his maps. In 1831 the society's Journal was established and Arrowsmith began producing maps for it from 1832 until 1870. He received the Gold medal of the Society in 1863 (Tooley, 1999). After his death his plates were bought by Edward Stanford of London who continued to issue the atlas with the name of Stanford's London Atlas of Universal Geography. This atlas continued into the 1920s. (Dorothy Prescott, 2010-2015)
