Carte Geographique, Statistique et Historique du New-York

New York the year the Erie Canal was completed

This attractive copperplate engraved map of New York presents the state’s various counties highlighted in bright original color, applied by hand shortly after printing. The robust transportation network is prominently highlighted, including a profile of the Grand Canal in the lower left.

Alternatively known as the Erie Canal, the waterway opened for use the same year as the map’s publication and completely revolutionized the transportation of people and goods into the interior of the fledgling United States. Water traffic could now proceed from the Atlantic through the Hudson River into the Great Lakes and beyond. Topography is depicted in hachure and a variety of place names, geographic features, and locations of interest are labeled throughout.

Surrounding the image are blocks of text providing detailed information (in French) on the history, geography, climate, politics, and economy of New York. A table of statistics shows the population across each county, showing the growth of the state from a reported 300,000 in 1790 to over a million in 1820.

The map was published in Paris by Jean Alexandre Buchon in 1825 and was included in the French edition of Carey & Lea’s popular American Atlas.