L’Amerique Septentrionale

Establishing the foundation for North American cartography of the 18th century.

This incredibly important map of North America did much to usher in a new era of 18th-century cartography based on scientific data and careful observations, rather than historical trends or unconfirmed sources. It was created by Claude and his son, Guillaume, De L’Isle, and first published in Paris in 1700. Tooley describes Guillaume, tutored by Cassini, in his essay on the firm:

“As a geographer, he must be judged against his background, the methods and information available to him, and his work compared to that of his contemporaries. In this context he was a great map maker, an innovator and a craftsman. His merit was quickly recognised in his own day. Men of science and kings (Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and the King of Sicily) paid him visits.

He raised France from a competitive to a domineering position in geography, and enjoyed an immense reputation throughout the eighteenth and even into the nineteenth century. De L’Isle’s name became a hallmark and financial asset to a publisher, and his maps were copied not only in France but in Holland, Germany, and Italy.”

The advancements from prior cartographic efforts are significant. De L’Isle was one of the first to revert California to a peninsular form, having been commonly depicted as an island since the mid-16th century. Geographic speculation in the northwest has been replaced by a distance scale and publishing advertisement, with the Pacific Coast stopping at Cape Mendocino. Numerous exploration routes are noted, reflecting the careful examination of primary sources by the cartographer.

The map is the first to label the Saragossa Sea, a distinctive region in the Atlantic Ocean known for its seaweed (see the annotation) and calm blue waters. Several longitudinal positions have been corrected, though none as important as the change in the location of the mouth of the Mississippi River (still five degrees too far west). The orientation of the river has also been updated to reflect the explorations and settlements of Pierre le Moyne d’Iberville.

His expedition was part of broader French attempts to reinforce La Salle’s original claims to the Mississippi Valley and resulted in the construction of the forts shown on Biloxi Bay and along the river. This isn’t the only political implication of note within the image. The relegation of the English to territory east of the Appalachian mountains would result in British cartographers responding with maps extending claims to the Mississippi – setting the stage for subsequent conflicts of the 18th century.

The map is in its sixth state, published around 1708, based on De L’Isle’s address and the imprint omitting the name of the map seller, Louis Renard (his contract expired in 1707). Aside from modifications to the title cartouche, the image remains the same as the second state (1700), which incorporates the updates from d’Iberville.

A previously unknown first state (also published in 1700) was discovered in 1984, showing the outdated position of the Mississippi and omitting the forts. This find prompted speculation that D’Lisle may have delayed the release of the information during sensitive political negotiations with Spain, who undoubtedly would have been frustrated by the founding of French settlements along the Gulf Coast.

References: Burden 761, Monique Pelletier, Exploration and Colonization of Louisiana in The Map Collector No. 24 (Sept. 1983), Seymour Schwartz and Henry Taliaferro, A Newly Discovered First State of a Foundation Map ‘L’Amerique Septentrionale’ The Map Collector No. 26 (March 1984); R.V. Tooley, French Mapping of the Americas the De L’Isle, Buache, Dezuache Succession Map Collector’s Circle No. 33 (1967).