Carte de la Virginie et du Maryland

Scarce first state of the most sought for 18th century French map of Virginia and Maryland.

The present copy is the first French map of this region reduced from the works of Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson (father of President Thomas Jefferson). A rare first state of Robert de Vaugondy's map made for his "Atlas Universel" and engraved by Elisabeth Hussard. Although the title has been translated into French, all the indications on the map are identical to the English version by Fry and Jefferson. The first map to illustrate the Blue Ridge Mountains and to map the colonial road system in Virginia. It represents a great evolution in the mapping of this region, as it gives an accurate picture of Virginia and Maryland before the Revolutionary War. It extends west from the Allegheny Mountains to include Delaware and part of New Jersey, as well as the area around Philadelphia. It includes a part of Pennsylvania to the north, and a part of Carolina to the south.

The Fry-Jefferson map is a primary source for studies at the time. Originally prepared at the request of Lord Halifax in 1748, this map was commissioned by Colonel Lewis Burwell, Governor of Virginia. It was published after Lord Halifax took over the presidency of the Board of Trade and Plantation in 1748 and requested information on the frontier activities and claims of potential French colonies on British territory.