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1881 Dutreuil de Rhins Map of Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand)
IndoChineOrientale-dutreuil-1881$750.00
Title
Carte de l'Indo-Chine Orientale.
1881 (dated) 39.25 x 26.75 in (99.695 x 67.945 cm) 1 : 1850000
1881 (dated) 39.25 x 26.75 in (99.695 x 67.945 cm) 1 : 1850000
Description
This is an 1881 Jules-Léon Dutreuil de Rhins map of eastern Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and part of Thailand) - window into French colonial intervention in Southeast Asia. This map was published 6 years before French Indochina was formally established but underscores growing French interest and investment in Indochina.
A Closer Look
Coverage broadly embraces the eastern part of Southeast Asia, from the Bay of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River to the South China Sea and from Yunnan to southernmost Cambodia, thus embracing modern-day Cambodia and Vietnam, with parts of Thailand, Laos, and China.Bright red lines trace roads, including the 'Grand Postal Route' between Saigon and Hanoi. Dashed red lines follow lesser roads and trails, some of which are recorded based on indigenous reports. Saigon, Hanoi, and Hué are prominently identified, while towns and villages are noted throughout, particularly along the roads and trails. Manuscript notations likely trace an unknown voyages or series of voyages.French Indochina
French interest in Southeast Asia began in 1787 when a French Catholic priest petitioned the French government to aid Gia Long in retaking lands once held by his family. French missionaries continued to operate in Indochina until a French military intervention in 1858 drew France deeper into the region. In 1862, France secured its first holdings in the area when three provinces and a few islands were ceded to France as part of the Treaty of Saigon. Following the Treaty of Saigon, France slowly conquered territory in Southeast Asia through wars, crises, and declarations of protectorates until 1887, when France formally created French Indochina by combining Annam, Tonkin, Cochinchina, and the Kingdom of Cambodia. France added Laos to French Indochina in 1893 after the Franco-Siamese Crisis.Publication History and Census
This map was created by Jules-Léon Dutreuil de Rhins, engraved by F. Dutour, and printed by Lemercier et Cie in 1881. We note cataloged examples at the Library of Congress, the University of Cambridge, Sorbonne Université, the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and the Universität Frankfurt. A revised edition of Dutreuil de Rhins' map of Indochina was published in 1886.CartographerS
Jules-Léon Dutreuil de Rhins (January 2, 1846 - June 5, 1894) was a French explorer and geographer. Born in Lyon, he attended the École navale before entering the merchant marine. He joined the French Marines during the French intervention in Mexico (1861 - 1867) and returned to the merchant marine afterward. In 1874, the King of Annam requested French officers to command gunboats France ceded to his kingdom. Dutreuil de Rhins responded to this call and spent 1876 and 1877 as the captain of le Scorpion. He turned this experience into several books and maps, including several maps of eastern Indochina published between 1879 and 1886. He accompanied Savorgnan de Brazza on his 1883 expedition to West Africa. Dutreuil de Rhins worked at the French dépot des cartes et plans de la Marine from 1884 until 1890 when he decided to organize an expedition to Central Asia. Dutreuil de Rhins and fellow explorer Fernand Grenard left for Asia in 1891 and centered in eastern Turkestan (modern-day Xinjiang). The duo attempted to enter Lhasa in 1893 but were denied entry. Dutreuil de Rhins died near Tom-Boumdo in the modern-day Qinghai Province after a dispute with some indigenous Tibetans. Grenard managed to escape and survived. After returning to Europe, Grenard published a narrative of the expedition, Mission scientifique dan la Haute-Asie. More by this mapmaker...
F. Dufour (18?? - 18??) was a French engraver active in Paris during the second half of the 19th century. He is best known for engraving an iconic view of Paris and its monuments. Dufour was based, at least for part of his career, at 35 Rue Vavin, Paris. Learn More...
Rose-Joseph Lemercier (June 29, 1803 - 1887) was a French photographer, lithographer, and printer. One of the most important Parisian lithographers of the 19th century, Lemercier was born in Paris into a family of seventeen children. His father was a basket maker, and he even began working as a basket maker at the age of fifteen, but Lemercier was drawn to lithography and printing and soon entered into an apprenticeship with Langlumé, where he worked from 1822 until 1825. After working for a handful of other printers, Lemercier started his own firm in 1828 at 2, rue Pierre Sarrazin with only one printing press. He subsequently moved a few more times before arriving at 57, rue de Seine, where he founded the printing firm Lemercier and Company. He created the firm Lemercier, Bénard and Company in 1837 with Jean François Bénard. Lemercier bought out Bénard's share in the firm in 1843 and, since his two sons died at a young age, he decided to bring his nephew Alfred into the business beginning in 1862, who would progressively take on more and more responsibility in running the firm. Between 1850 and 1870, Lemercier's firm was the largest lithographic company in Paris. The firm began to decline in prestige in the early 1870s, and, after Lemercier's death in 1887, its descent only quickened. It is unclear when the firm closed, but Alfred directed the firm until his death in 1901. Learn More...
Condition
Very good. Dissected and mounted on linen in 24 panels. Light soiling. Light wear and slight loss to linen fold lines. Manuscript notations.
References
OCLC 271071030, 903123378.