1780 Raynal and Bonne Map of Mexico and Texas
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Description: This is a beautiful c. 1780 Bonne map of northern Mexico and Texas. Covers from the Pacific Ocean through Mexico, Texas and Louisiana to western Florida, extends north as far as the Mission of St. Jeronimo de Taos (just north of Santa Fe) and south as far as Guadalajara and the northern Yucatan. More specifically, this map includes the modern day regions of Baja California, northern Mexico and the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. Depicts the region in considerable detail expecially in regard to place names, Indian villages, missions, and riverways. In the Texas region there appears a city of “Texas”, presumably the old Mission de Los Tejas from which name “Texas” is derived. Just to the east of this city there is a notation regarding the 1665 death of the explorer La Salle. In present-day Arizona, the Gila River is referenced as the “Rio de los Apostolos”. This map is heavily based on the work of D’Anville and was issued for G. Raynal’s Atlas de Toutes les Parties Connues du Globe Terrestre, Dressé pour l'Histoire Philosophique et Politique des Établissemens et du Commerce des Européens dans les Deux Indes.
Date: 1780 (undated)
Source: Raynal, G., Atlas de Toutes les Parties Connues du Globe Terrestre, Dressé pour l'Histoire Philosophique et Politique des Établissemens et du Commerce des Européens dans les Deux Indes, 1780.
References: Lowery, Woodbury, The Lowery Collection: A Descriptive List of Maps of the Spanish Possessions within the Present Limits of the United States, 1502- 1820, 545. Phillips (Atlases) 652-28. Wheat, C., The Mapping of the Transmississippi West, 1540-1861, #187.
Cartographer: Rigobert Bonne (1727-1795 ) was one of the most important cartographers of the late 18th century. In 1773 he succeeded Jacques Bellin as Royal Cartographer to France in the office of the Hydrographer at the Depôt de la Marine. Working in his official capacity Bonne compiled some of the most detailed and accurate maps of the period. Bonne's work represents an important step in the evolution of the cartographic ideology away from the decorative work of the 17th and early 18th century towards a more detail oriented and practical aesthetic. With regard to the rendering of terrain Bonne maps bear many stylistic similarities to those of his predecessor, Bellin. However, Bonne maps generally abandon such common 18th century decorative features such as hand coloring, elaborate decorative cartouches, and compass roses. While mostly focusing on coastal regions, the work of Bonne is highly regarded for its detail, historical importance, and overall aesthetic appeal. Click here for a list of rare maps from Rigobert Bonne.
Cartographer: Guillaume Thomas Raynal (April 12, 1711 - March 6, 1796) was a French writer, philosopher, and historian active during the Enlightenment. Raynal was educated as a Jesuit, but left the order for unknown reasons, and moved to Paris where he dedicated himself to the production of a number of minor but popular historical works. Raynal's histories opened doors to elite social and artistic circles where he met and befriended various members of the Philosophe Coteries. Raynal's most important work is generally considered to be a 1770 collaboration with Diderot and others entitled, L'Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes. Some of the philosophical ideas developed in the book drew negative attention from the authorities who banned the book and posted a notice for the arrest of its authors. Raynal fled to Berlin and later to St. Petersburg, where he lived for a number of years before returning to France in 1787. Though not a cartographer Raynal's name is often attached to several Atlases by Rigobert Bonne, from whom he composed the text. Click here for a list of rare maps by G. Raynal.
Size: Printed area measures 13 x 9 inches (33.02 x 22.86 centimeters)
Condition: Very good. Original centerfold. Platemark visible. Blank on verso.
Code: NouveauMexique-bonne-1780 (Necessary for phone inquiries: 646-320-8650)
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