A New & Accurate Chart of the World

Beautiful map of the world published during the War of Austrian Succession.

This magnificent world map was published in London by Emanuel Bowen in 1744. It provides a comprehensive and legible overview of the political and geographic organization of the planet during the mid-18th century, when the War of Austrian Succession drew in belligerents from all over Europe and beyond.

Toponyms in a variety of sizes label an interesting mix of geographic features, kingdoms, territories, and cities, many of which reflect colonial or imperial ambitions. Several annotations throughout the image identify other details like the presence of silver mines, ‘mountains covered with snow’, and the locations of explorers’ observations. Incomplete coastlines can be seen in the Arctic Circle and across Oceania, while the continent of Antarctica is almost entirely absent save for one French sighting noted in 1739.

The curved lines snaking across the page reflect variations in magnetic declination or necessary adjustments for a compass to read ‘true north.’ A note in the lower left indicates there were some restrictions when displaying this information and the audience should refer to a large chart, published by Mount & Page, for more accurate measurements.