1899 George Gill Chromolithograph Wall Map of India, Nepal, and Burma

A rare and majestically enormous c.1900 four-part map of India by George Gill and Sons. Presented in chromolithographic color and consisting of four linen back folding sections, this massive map covers from Mongolia to Sri Lanka and from Karachi to Bangkok, with the central focus being the Indian Subcontinent. The subcontinent is divided into various British run or influenced agencies and sub-agencies, ranging from British Baluchistan to the Indore Agency. As a schoolroom map, the chart is not excessively dense, has bold color, and large easy to read print. The intense blue coastal shading is apparently something the at Gill was rightfully proud of, as a note int the lower left margin, states 'Copyright coast shading protected.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic effects. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominate method of color printing.

Publication History and Census

We have found very little evidence of this map private or institutional collections and no market history. We have found advertisements for Gill's 'Cartographic' series ranging from 1885 to 1901. We have tentatively dated this map to c. 1900 based upon the geography