Asia

Beautifully drawn map of Asia from c. 1805.

This lovely ‘schoolgirl’ map of Asia was likely created by a juvenile as part of a geographic exercise, probably in the first decade of the 19th century. Lines of latitude and longitude are carefully plotted across a conic projection. Calculations for prime meridians at both London (top) and Philadelphia (bottom) are provided, but the attention to the latter hints the map was drawn by an American in New England.

The image presents a wealth of fascinating historical details. Japan (misspelled ‘NIHON’, with the ‘P’ inserted) is presented in an interesting geographic configuration. The ‘Chinese Wall’ is shown dividing the regions of China from Chinese Tartary, while the ‘Sea of Japan or Corea’ is labeled nearby. The rapidly expanding Russian Empire stretches from Bhering’s Strait to the historic borders of Europe (and beyond). Numerous rivers flow from the Aral Sea past the ancient city of Samarkand, an important trading post on the Silk Road. The ‘Snowy Mountains’ (Himalayas) are shown pictorially in Tibet (Lhasa is named) and numerous islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans reflect recent exploration or colonization attempts.

Sources: National Geographic; Osher Map Library;