Carte De La Louisiane Et Du Cours Du Mississipi; (Map of the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River)

Paris, 1718. Map. Engraving with outline hand coloring. 19 x 25 1/4 inches. Paris: Guillaume de L'isle, 1718. Rare 2nd State.

This landmark map by French cartographer Guillaume de l'Isle was the first to print the name "Texas" (as Mission de los Teijas, established 1716) and in this second State of the map, the first to name and include the newly founded city of New Orleans. Based on reports from French explorers and fur traders, it charts the routes of early explorers like Hernando de Soto (1539-42), Alonso de Leon (1689), and Saint Denis (1713, 1716). De l'Isle also accurately plotted many Native American tribes, using hut symbols to mark (truncated) their locations. The Erie, Algonquin, Tonga, Miami, Potawatomi, Coushatta tribe of Louisiana and many more are notated throughout. He notes wandering Indians and cannibals along the Gulf. Controversially, the map extended French territorial claims into British areas, misattributed the naming of Carolina and Charleston to French origins, and provoked political backlash from the English. Mat burn, toning and creases from framing but otherwise in very good condition. Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726) was a legendary French cartographer known for introducing a new standard of accuracy into 17th-century mapmaking. He was one of the cartographers who propelled the French school of map-making away from Dutch dominance. The French school emphasized science and accuracy over ornament. His family took over the business and kept publishing maps well into the late 18th century. He used astronomical observations to determine locations and draw more precise coastlines. He continually updated his maps and dispelled prevailing geographical inaccuracies throughout his life. Martin & Martin, Maps of Texas, pl. 19, pp. 98-99. (Inventory #: 327945)