- Title: THE DISTRICT OF MAINE
- Author: Mathew Carey
- Date: 1814
- Condition: Tissue-backed with only minor paper loss; toning along the centerfold from prior binding. Otherwise in excellent condition.
- Inches: 11 1/4 x 15 1/2 [Image]
- Centimeters: 28.57 x 39.37 [Image]
- Product ID: 308588
Published just after the War of 1812, this from Carey's Atlas represented the best American cartographic work of the period. The map shows the development of the District of Maine (then part of Massachusetts) at the time of the War of 1812.
Interestingly, it was to a great extent the feeling of inadequate military protection during that war that caused the inhabitants of Maine to agitate for separation from Massachusetts, something that finally happened in 1820 as a part of the Missouri Compromise. This map shows towns and roads, particularly along the southern part of the coast. The district is divided into six counties, most of which run in narrow strips from north to south. This fine example of early American cartography is also an excellent picture of Maine from over two centuries ago.
Background on Creator
Mathew Carey (1760–1839) was an Irish-born American publisher and political economist who emigrated to Philadelphia in 1784 after running afoul of British authorities for his writings supporting Irish nationalism and Catholic emancipation. With assistance from the Marquis de Lafayette, Carey established a publishing and bookselling business that became one of America’s foremost firms, known for producing Bibles, schoolbooks, almanacs, and maps. He gained national prominence by publishing the first English translation of the Douay Catholic Bible in America in 1790 and played a leading role in shaping early American literature as a bold advocate for social justice and economic protectionism.