- Title: Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississipi
- Author: Cornelis Mortier & Johannes Covens
- Date: c. 1730
- Medium: Hand-colored copperplate engraving
- Condition: Very Good Plus – light age toning and foxing, light wear along issued center fold, original outline color
- Inches: 24 ¾ x 18 ½ [Image]
- Centimeters: 87 x 46.99 [Image]
- Product ID: 316057
C. 1730 map published by Covens & Mortier modeled on Guillaume De L’Isle’s foundational 1718 map of Louisiana. The map extends from eastern New Mexico in the west to New York and Montreal in the east, and shows the Gulf Coast stretching from the entrance to the Rio Grande to the west coast of Florida. An inset map in the lower right corner bearing the title Carte Particuliere des Embouchures de la Rivie. S. Louis et de la Mobile [“Special Map of the Mouths of the St. Louis and Mobile Rivers”] shows the coastline spanning from the mouth of the Mississippi to Pensacola, Florida. The map indicates the locations of major settlements, forts, and topographical features, and includes the land routes of major explorers such as de Soto, Moscoso, La Salle, de Leon, and St. Denis, along with the dates of their expeditions.
In 1719, Cornelis Mortier (1699-1783) inherited the publishing business of his father Pieter Mortier (1661-1711). In 1721, Cornelis joined with Johannes Covens the Elder (1697-1774) to form their eponymously titled Amsterdam firm, which would become one of the preeminent publishing houses of the eighteenth century. The firm reprinted and redistributed the maps of major cartographers such as Hubert Jaillot (1632-1712), Jan Jansson (1588-1664), Nicolas Sanson (1600-1667), Frederick de Wit (c. 1629-1706), and, of course, Guillaume De L'Isle (1675-1726). This map was taken from the plates of De L’Isle’s groundbreaking Carte de la Louisiane (first published 1718), to which it is identical save the addition of the city of New Orleans.
De L’Isle’s 1718 Carte de la Louisiane marked the first appearance of any variant of the name “Texas'' on a printed map. As in that map, here a small string of text reading Mission de los Teijas etablie en 1716 appears along the banks of the Trinity River.
Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississipi
Dressée sur un grand nombre de Memoires entr'autres sur ceux de Mr. le Maire Par Guillme. De L’Isle de l’Academie Rle. des Sciences.
A Amsterdam
Chez Jean Cóvens et Corneille Mortier Géographes.
...
Map of Louisiana and the Course of the Mississippi
Drawn up on a large number of Memoirs among others from those of Mr. le Maire By Guillaume Delisle of the Royal Academy of Sciences.
In Paris
House of Jean Cóvens and Corneille Mortier Geographers.