[Collection of Plain Maps by Abbe Gaultier]

Innovative geography education from the late 18th century.

This collection of ‘Plain’ maps was developed by Abbe Aloisius Édouard Camille Gaultier, a Catholic priest and educational reformer who sought to introduce amusement as an incentive for juvenile learning. Each sheet was originally published as part of his “Complete Course of Geography”, which included both blank and filled-in versions of the maps. This early version of ‘edutainment’ saw players need to correctly identify various cities, geographic features, and regions in order to collect the most counters.

The five ‘game boards’ consist of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the World, providing for total global coverage. The world map is from a 1792 edition, whereas all others are from 1797 and attributed to Mr. Waulthier. This is J.M. Waulthier, one of Abbe Gaultier’s students and a principal contributor to the publication.