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1890 Vorzet Map of New Orleans and Environs
BouchesDuMississippi-dumasvorzet-1890$175.00
Title
Bouches du Mississippi et Nouvelle Orleans.
1890 undated 10.5 x 13.5 in (26.67 x 34.29 cm) 1 : 800000
1890 undated 10.5 x 13.5 in (26.67 x 34.29 cm) 1 : 800000
Description
A remarkable map of the Mississippi River Delta, New Orleans, and environs, prepared in 1890 by Ernest Dumas-Vorzet. It appeared in the scarce 1890 atlas volume of the French edition of Philippe d'Orléans' Histoire de la Guerre Civile en Amérique.
At New Orleans, the Union forces were led by Flag Officer David Farragut (1801 - 1870), who would eventually be promoted to become the first Admiral in the United States Navy. Farragut's vital decision was to take advantage of the speed of his steam-powered ships and barrel past Forts Jackson and St. Philip near the mouth of the Mississippi River, which the Confederates mistakenly believed would guarantee the city's defense. By the time Farragut's ships reached New Orleans, the seizure of the city, defended by only a few thousand poorly armed militiamen, was a bloodless fait accompli. The capture of the Confederacy's largest city and the choking off of the Mississippi River were decisive factors in the ultimate Union victory.
A Closer Look
Coverage ranges from Donaldsonville, along the Mississippi River towards Baton Rouge, eastwards to Pascagoula, Mississippi, and southwards to the Gulf of Mexico. Aside from New Orleans, cities, towns, forts, railways, waterways of various sorts, and other features are noted, including the defunct Jefferson College, a Jesuit institution along the Mississippi River. The map was created to illustrate the Battle of New Orleans, a crucial Union victory that helped turn the tide of the conflict (discussed more below). It is worth noting that this map would have a special resonance for readers of Philippe d'Orléans' atlas, as this territory had belonged to France at the start of the 19th century (having been named after the author's ancestor, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans) and there was still a significant French-descended population in Louisiana.The Capture of New Orleans
The U.S. Navy's capture of New Orleans at the end of April 1862 was a critical development in the American Civil War. One of the first Union victories, it provided a morale boost and vindicated the 'Anaconda Plan' of blockading the Confederacy by sea and cutting it in half along the Mississippi River. This plan was completed with the capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Port Hudson, Louisiana, the following July.At New Orleans, the Union forces were led by Flag Officer David Farragut (1801 - 1870), who would eventually be promoted to become the first Admiral in the United States Navy. Farragut's vital decision was to take advantage of the speed of his steam-powered ships and barrel past Forts Jackson and St. Philip near the mouth of the Mississippi River, which the Confederates mistakenly believed would guarantee the city's defense. By the time Farragut's ships reached New Orleans, the seizure of the city, defended by only a few thousand poorly armed militiamen, was a bloodless fait accompli. The capture of the Confederacy's largest city and the choking off of the Mississippi River were decisive factors in the ultimate Union victory.
Publication History and Census
This map was drafted by Ernest Dumas-Vorzet, engraved by Louis Wuhrer, printed by Becquet, and published by Michel Lévy in Paris for the 1890 French edition of Philippe d'Orléans' Histoire de la Guerre Civile en Amérique. The atlas supplement, of which this map was part, was issued only with the 1890 French publication and not included in any of the earlier English editions. The entire work, in this edition, is uncommon in institutional collections, with only 3 being identified in OCLC, and is scarce to the market. Most examples lack the atlas, which in OCLC appears only at the Boston Athenaeum. Very little market history.CartographerS
Ernest Dumas-Vorzet (18?? - 18??) was a French line and letter engraver active in Paris in the late 19th century. He engraved the lettering on nautical charts for the Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine. His later work is often associated with Émile Delaune (18?? - 19??) and Hachette et Cie. He is likely the father of Edouard Dumas-Vorzet, a French publisher and cartographer. More by this mapmaker...
Frédéric Louis Charles Wuhrer (1844 - 1925) was a French cartographer, engraver, and artist. He lived in the town of Buc, France, where he purchased the former Town Hall. Wuhrer is better known as a landscape artist, with a strong record at auctions. Little is known of his engraving work, but the Bibliothèque nationale de France has over one hundred pieces in their collection attributed to his name. Learn More...
Louis-Philippe-Albert d'Orléans, Comte de Paris (August 24, 1838 - September 8, 1894) was a French prince, scholar, officer in the American Civil War (1861 - 1865), and unofficially King of France (February 24, 1848). Louis-Philippe-Albert was the grandson of French king, Louis Philippe I of the house of Orléans. With the advent of the French Second Republic (1848 - 1852), Louis-Philippe-Albert and his family fled to the United States. Louis-Philippe-Albert became an outspoken journalist who, when the Civil War broke out, volunteered to serve in the Union Army, being instantly appointed assistant adjutant general under General George McClellan with the rank of captain. During his service, he used the abbreviated name Philippe d'Orléans. He served in the Peninsular Campaign, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater, but resigned from service in July 1862. Later, he wrote a History of the Civil War in America, published in 1875. He returned to Europe in 1864, where in England, he married his paternal first cousin, Princess Marie Isabelle d'Orléans (1848–1919), Infanta of Spain. In 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War and the downfall of Napoleon III, they were allowed to return to France, and many of their properties were restored. He renounced all claims to the French throne in 1873 but was still considered by some Orléanists as Philippe VII of France. In 1886, the prince and his family again went into exile in London, where he died in 1894. Learn More...
Michel Lévy (1821 - May 4, 1875) was a French publisher and founder of the Michel Lévy Frères publishing house. Born in Phalsbourg in the Moselle to a bookseller (colporteur), he began selling books in Paris at the age of fifteen under the name Michel Lévy Frères. Although his brothers Kalmus (Calmann) and Nathan were sometimes involved in his business, Michel was the primary bookseller and later publisher. Initially, Lévy focused on works relating to the theater, but later expanded into literature, periodicals, and other fields. By the 1860s, Michel Lévy Frères was one of the major publishers in France, putting out works by the likes of Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, and Victor Hugo. Michel Lévy was inducted into the Légion d'Honneur in 1873, but died unexpectedly two years later. Afterwards, his brother took charge of the firm, then renamed Calmann Lévy (sometimes as Calmann-Lévy), and it continued its success as a leading publisher in France. In 1893, Calmann turned over the business to his three sons, Georges, Paul, and Gaston, who ran it until the Second World War, when Gaston was interned by the Nazis and the publishing house was renamed Editions Balzac. After the war, the firm continued and still exists today as a subsidiary of Hachette. Learn More...
Source
Orleans, Louis-Philippe-Albert d', Histoire de la Guerre Civile en Amérique, par M. le comte de Paris, (Paris: Michel Lévy) 1890.
Condition
Very good. Mounted on linen.
References
OCLC 877854488, 29967613.