The Eastern Hemisphere

First edition of John Cary’s fine map of the Eastern Hemisphere.

This finely engraved map of the Eastern Hemisphere was originally created by John Cary in 1801, though this specific example originates from the 1808 first edition of his landmark New Universal Atlas. It depicts a vast terrestrial and oceanic region that had been largely unknown to Western Europeans scarcely forty years prior, presented here with a scientific authority and aesthetic clarity that would set the standard for 19th-century British cartography.

The map is particularly notable for tracing the tracks of foundational maritime expeditions, including those of Cook, Vancouver, and La Perouse. While the Antarctic remains a largely unmapped void (save for a single noted sighting), the coastlines of Australia (New Holland), Southeast Asia, and Africa are rendered with remarkable accuracy – though the African interior remains candidly labeled with “Parts Unknown.” The attractive hand-applied color distinguishes the various kingdoms and empires of the four continents, while Cary’s signature meticulous engraving captures a wealth of settlements, geographic features, and historical sites across the hemisphere.