1818 Pinkerton Map of the East Indies and Southeast Asia (Singapore, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Thailand
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Description: Truly a masterwork of copperplate engraving, this is Pinkerton's extraordinary 1818 map of the East Indies. Covers from Burma south to Java and from the Andaman Islands eastward as far as the Philippines and New Guinea. Includes the entire Malay Peninsula, much of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Philippines. Pinkerton offers impressive detail throughout noting indigenous groups, forts, towns and cities, swamps, mountains, and river systems. Known regions such as Java and Sumatra are full of interesting notes and commentary, such as the sites of various gold mines, plantations, notes on river navigation, and comments on the terrain. Lesser known areas, such as New Guinea and the interior of Borneo, often feature simpler comments suchas "Fresh Water" or "Lava." The island of Singapore, spelled "Sincapoor" is identified. The island of Rakata, spelled "Rakama", where Krakatoa famously erupted in 1883, destroying the island in its entirety, is also identified. Further identifies the important centers of Siam, Bangkok, Malacca, Pegu, Rangoon, Manila, etc. Possibly the finest mapping of the region to appear in the 19th century.
Drawn by L. Herbert and engraved by Samuel Neele under the direction of John Pinkerton. This map comes from the scarce American edition of Pinkerton’s Modern Atlas, published by Thomas Dobson & Co. of Philadelphia in 1818.
Date: 1818 (undated)
Source: Pinkerton, J., A Modern Atlas, from the Lates and Best Authorities, Exhibiting the Various Divisions of the World with its chief Empires, Kingdoms, and States; in Sixty Maps, carefully reduced from the Larges and Most Authentic Sources. 1818, Philadelphia, Thomas Dobson Edition.
References: Rumsey 0732.039. Phillips (Atlases) 724. National Maritime Museum, 409.
Cartographer: John Pinkerton (1758-1826) was one of the leading masters of the Edinburgh school of cartography which flourished from roughly 1800 to 1830. Pinkerton & his contemporaries (Thomson & Cary) redefined European cartography by abandoning typical 18th century decorative elements such as elaborate title cartouches and fantastical beasts in favor of detail and accuracy. Pinkerton's principle work is the "Pinkerton's Modern Atlas" published from 1808 through 1815 with a special American reissue by Dobson & Co. in 1818. Today Pinkerton maps are becoming increasingly rare as they are highly admired for their unsurpassed quality, monumental size, vivid hand coloration, and flawless detail. Click here for a list of rare maps from John Pinkerton.
Cartographer: Thomas Dobson was an American publisher active in Philadelphia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dobson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1751 and emigrated to Philadelphia c. 1780. In Philadelphia, he established a successful printing business by republishing edited and updated versions of important British reference materials in matching quality but at a much lower price point. He is best known for publishing the first American edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He also published America's first Hebrew Bible. Cartographically Dobson's most notable work is 1818 republication of Pinkerton's fantastic Modern Atlas. Click here for a list of rare maps published by Thomas Dobson.
Size: Printed area measures 27.5 x 20.5 inches (69.85 x 52.07 centimeters)
Condition: Very good condition. Light spotting in lower quadrants. Blank on verso. Platemark visible.
Code: EastIndiaIslands-pinkerton-1818 (Necessary for phone inquiries: 646-320-8650)
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