A highly decorative piece consisting of a circular map 17 in. in diameter of the Arctic set within a rectangle 19 x 17 in. with its remaining portions filled with remarkable coloured vignettes of whaling scenes in the northern regions. The Arctic is shown in its standard form for this period ... with Northwest America absent due to lack of available knowledge.
Chatelain's map of North America was published to promote the interests of the Compagnie Francoise Occident, a trading company established to encourage the development of the Louisiana territory and as a consequence of its development, the stabilization of a lagging French economy. The map illustrates the relationship among the French, English and Spanish claims on the continent.
Item is the top part of Chatelain's 1719 map of North America. This is the top part of the map, and does not include the separately published bottom part devoted to South America, Africa, and the South Pacific Ocean.