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C1885
Colony of Natal.
Mapmaker:
Scarce late c.19th colour lithographed map of the Colony of Natal, depicting the province and its adjoining territories in southern Africa. The map delineates colonial and internal administrative boundaries, with districts coloured, and shows the expanding infrastructure of the colony, … Read Full Description
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S/N: TCOL-AF-007–192558
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Details
Full Title:
Colony of Natal.
Date:
C1885
Mapmaker:
Condition:
In good condition.
Technique:
Colour printed engraving.
Image Size:
117mm
x 183mm
Paper Size:
136mm
x 210mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1885
Description:
Scarce late c.19th colour lithographed map of the Colony of Natal, depicting the province and its adjoining territories in southern Africa.
The map delineates colonial and internal administrative boundaries, with districts coloured, and shows the expanding infrastructure of the colony, including principal roads and railways, which are clearly distinguished in the legend. Major towns and settlements including: Pietermaritzburg, Durban (Port Natal), Newcastle, and Ladysmith are identified, together with rivers, mountain ranges, and coastal features along the Indian Ocean.
The map situates Natal within its wider regional context, showing Zululand to the north-east, the Orange Free State to the north-west, Basutoland to the west, and the Transvaal to the north, thereby illustrating the political geography of the region during the period of British colonial consolidation. Railways radiating from Durban emphasise the colony’s economic orientation toward its principal port and the strategic importance of inland connections.
The map reflects contemporary British colonial cartographic practice, combining administrative clarity with practical information for governance, transport, and settlement. A useful and visually appealing example of late nineteenth-century mapping of southern Africa, documenting Natal at a formative stage in its infrastructural and territorial development.
Edward Weller (1819 - 1884)
Distinguished British cartographer, engraver, and publisher whose work contributed significantly to the popular dissemination of geographic knowledge in the mid to late c.19th. Active during a period of rapid expansion in global exploration and imperial cartography, Weller became one of the foremost mapmakers associated with The Weekly Dispatch Atlas and later the London Atlas of Universal Geography, works that brought high-quality maps to a broad middle-class readership.
Born in London in 1819, Weller trained as a draughtsman and engraver in an era when advances in lithography and steel-plate engraving were transforming the mapmaking industry. By the 1840s, he had established himself at 34 Red Lion Square, Holborn, where he operated as an engraver, draughtsman, and publisher. His early work included finely engraved maps for a variety of publishers and periodicals, but he rose to prominence through his long association with the publisher Cassell, Petter & Galpin.
Edward Weller’s contributions helped standardise mid-Victorian cartographic design and facilitated public engagement with geography through affordable, well-made maps. He remained active in London until his death in 1884. His output represents a bridge between the artisanal engraving traditions of the early nineteenth century and the industrial lithographic production that came to dominate the later Victorian period.
