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1777 Broenner / Jefferys-Holland Map of the New York Theatre of the Revolutionary War
NewYorkNewJersey-broenner-1777$3,000.00
Title
The Provinces of NEW YORK, and NEW JERSEY; with part of PENSILVANIA, and the Province of Quebec. Drawn by Major Holland, Surveyor General, of the Northern District in America. Corrected and Improved, from the Original Materials, By Governr. Pownall, Member of Parliament. Published by Harry Lodowick Broenner, Book-seller to Franckfort upon the Mayn. 1777.
1777 (dated) 52 x 20.75 in (132.08 x 52.705 cm) 1 : 650000
1777 (dated) 52 x 20.75 in (132.08 x 52.705 cm) 1 : 650000
Description
This is a rare, separately issued German edition of the best-informed map available focusing on the northern theatre of the American Revolution: Samuel Holland's 1775 map of The Provinces of New York and New Jersey, in its final version corrected by Governor Thomas Pownall. This map was published by the heirs of Harry Lodowick Broenner, a Frankfurt-am-Main bookseller, whose forays into cartography were characterized by the swift reproduction of up-to-date maps, topically relevant to Frankfurter interests. As the Holland-Pownall map provided the best available view of the American war zone in which Hessian mercenaries were expected to be active, it would have been an apt target for the Broenners.
Holland had completed the initial surveys for this map in 1767 and 1768 as part of his role as New York - New Jersey Boundary Commissioner. New York and New Jersey were at the time disputing their north-western border, particularly in the vicinity of Morris County (currently New Jersey). Holland was commissioned by the Board of Trade to produce a new survey elaborating on the points of contention. This resulted in a manuscript map (now lost) that was presented to the Board of Trade in 1768. Thomas Jefferys' printed version of the map cannot have been executed after 1771; it is generally understood that its first publication was 1775, by Robert Sayer. This makes Jefferys' work all the more prescient: his work contextualized Holland's data with cartography established by Lewis Evans (Hudson Valley, Lake Ontario) and Cadwallader Colden (St. Lawrence region) and his own work on the New England map with Braddock Mead, (revealing the land grants appearing in the region of New York that would become Vermont.) Thus, Jefferys' work would become a superb and prescient 'theatre of war' map. He may have been influenced by long-term increasing revolutionary sentiment becoming apparent in the colonies - but the Holland/ Jefferys map was executed no later than four years prior to the powder kegs of Lexington and Concord.
The importance of the up-to-date mapping of this region cannot have escaped Sayer and Bennett by the time of its third state, in December 1775. The introduction of the insets of New York City, New York Harbor, and Perth Amboy occurred at that time. By August 1776, when the corrections to the map were added by Governor Thomas Pownall, there can have been no doubt that the fortunes of the new war would hinge on this region. Indeed, a British fleet under General John Burgoyne had already begun arriving in Quebec in May of that year.
A Closer Look
The map details the Hudson River-Lake Champlain corridor between Montreal and New York City, which the British had identified as a vital target: commanding this region would divide the rebellious colonies in two, and aid considerably in bringing the war to a swift close. As such, the map provides abundant information of the New York region, its roads, and its waterways. It was also the first theatre of the war to see the deployment of Britain's German auxiliaries, predominantly from Hesse: hence the local interest inspiring the production of the present map.The Source
First printed in 1775, Holland's map was one of the most important, influential, and comprehensive American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783) maps of New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and the Hudson Valley corridor. In addition to the strategic corridor between New York and Montreal, the map includes superb detail from Delaware Bay northward including parts of eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Long Island, New York Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont as well as the Iroquois League, the Trois Rivieres territories and Montreal, as far as Lac St. Pierre in modern day Quebec.Holland had completed the initial surveys for this map in 1767 and 1768 as part of his role as New York - New Jersey Boundary Commissioner. New York and New Jersey were at the time disputing their north-western border, particularly in the vicinity of Morris County (currently New Jersey). Holland was commissioned by the Board of Trade to produce a new survey elaborating on the points of contention. This resulted in a manuscript map (now lost) that was presented to the Board of Trade in 1768. Thomas Jefferys' printed version of the map cannot have been executed after 1771; it is generally understood that its first publication was 1775, by Robert Sayer. This makes Jefferys' work all the more prescient: his work contextualized Holland's data with cartography established by Lewis Evans (Hudson Valley, Lake Ontario) and Cadwallader Colden (St. Lawrence region) and his own work on the New England map with Braddock Mead, (revealing the land grants appearing in the region of New York that would become Vermont.) Thus, Jefferys' work would become a superb and prescient 'theatre of war' map. He may have been influenced by long-term increasing revolutionary sentiment becoming apparent in the colonies - but the Holland/ Jefferys map was executed no later than four years prior to the powder kegs of Lexington and Concord.
The importance of the up-to-date mapping of this region cannot have escaped Sayer and Bennett by the time of its third state, in December 1775. The introduction of the insets of New York City, New York Harbor, and Perth Amboy occurred at that time. By August 1776, when the corrections to the map were added by Governor Thomas Pownall, there can have been no doubt that the fortunes of the new war would hinge on this region. Indeed, a British fleet under General John Burgoyne had already begun arriving in Quebec in May of that year.
The Hessian Edition
In the year following the August 17, 1776, publication of the last Sayer and Bennett edition of the map, a copy had found its way to Frankfurt-am-Main, where it would have found a vigorously interested audience. On February 5, 1776, Great Britain and Hesse-Hanau had established a treaty stipulating that Hanau would make a fully furnished corps of infantry available to Britain, to be paid by Britain at the same rate as her own troops. By April 25, an additional company of artillery was called for, and in the coming year more would be added. The first Hessian troops to arrive in theatre landed at Staten Island on August 15, 1776, so certainly by 1777 there would have been a demand for a map of the New York region in Frankfurt and surrounding Hesse. That it was not translated - remaining a faithful copy of the English-language original - is probably a matter of haste: the brothers Broenner probably were keen to get their map to press while the news was still fresh.Publication History and Census
This map was engraved by H. Contger for separate issue by Brönnersche Buchhandlung und Druckerei, under posthumous imprint of the firm's founder, H. L. Broenner. We are aware of a single state of this work, which is listed in sixteen examples in institutional collections. The map is scarce on the market.CartographerS
Henry (Harry) Lodowick (Louis) Broenner (Brönner) (December 21, 1702 - May 25, 1769) was a German book and printseller established in Frankfurt am Main. Virtually nothing is known of his youth or history, outside of his published works. In 1752 he published an edition of Crespel's popular account of his voyages in Canada; in 1777 he published an edition of Marmontel's account of the destruction by the Spanish of the Peruvian Empire. He produced a large number of maps pertaining to the European theatre of the Seven Years' War, most of which focused on the campaigns participated in by the mercenary forces of Hesse-Cassel (after all, Frankfurt is in Hesse.) These were predominantly not original publications - his source for most were the works of the French cartographer Beaurain. But what his maps lacked in originality they had in topicality and timeliness. He produced no atlas, and it is probable that his maps were separate issues intended for sale at the Frankfort messe, the international fair which descended upon Frankfort-am-Main twice a year. Such maps were a popular seller, being crucial in the spread of news of current political affairs: an important aspect of the messe.
After his death in 1769, his sons Heinrich Remigius Brönner (d.1798) and Johann Carl Brönner (d. 1812) continued to operate the business, Brönnersche Buchhandlung und Druckerei, apparently continuing to use their father's imprint. It is almost certainly in the same vein of their father's newsworthy maps that the younger Brönners produced their 1777 copy of the Holland/ Pownall map of New York and New Jersey: not just the timeliness of the news, but its relevance to German and particularly to Hessian interests. (The British were employing a large number of Hessian mercenaries in the conflict.) More by this mapmaker...
Thomas Jefferys (1695 - November 20, 1771) was one of the most prominent and prolific map publishers and engravers of his day. Jefferys was born in Birmingham and was apprenticed to the engraver Emmanuel Bowen in 1735. Later, in the 1740s he engraved several maps for the popular periodical Gentleman's Magazine. Around 1740 Jefferys was finally able to go into business for himself and in 1746 received an appointment as 'Geographer to Fredrick, Prince of Wales,' which shortly after translated to the position of 'Royal Cartographer to King George III.' Jefferys initially specialized in compiling and re-engraving the works of earlier cartographers into more coherent cartographic wholes. Later, while not salaried position, Jefferys' appointment as 'Royal Cartographer' guaranteed preferential access to the most up to date cartographic material available, allowing him to produce new and updated charts of exceptional accuracy. He his best known for his maps of the Americas, particularly the posthumously published 1775 American Atlas, which included some of the finest and most important late colonial era maps of America ever made. Despite his prolific publishing history, royal appointments, and international publishing fame, Jefferys lived most of his life in dire economic straits. He was bailed out of bankruptcy by Robert Sayer during the production of the American Atlas. In the end, Jefferys died suddenly with very little to his name. Nonetheless, his cartographic legacy survived, and even after his death in 1771, many of his important maps continued to be published and republished by Sayer and Bennet, Conrad Lotter, Georges Louis Le Rouge, Laurie and Whittle, and others. Many attribute some of Jefferys best maps to the colorful and criminally inclined Irish cartographic genius Braddock Mead (John Green, c. 1688 - 1757), who is considered the 'secret behind Jefferys.' Jefferys was succeeded by his son, also Thomas, who had little success as a cartographer and eventually partnered with, then sold his stock and plates to William Faden - Jefferys' true heir. Learn More...
Robert Sayer (1725 - January 29, 1794) was an important English map publisher and engraver active from the mid to late 18th century. Sayer was born in Sunderland, England, in 1725. He may have clerked as a young man with the Bank of England, but this is unclear. His brother, James Sayer, married Mary Overton, daughter-in-law of John Overton and widow of Philip Overton. Sayer initially worked under Mary Overton, but by December of 1748 was managing the Overton enterprise and gradually took it over, transitioning the plates to his own name. When Thomas Jefferys went bankrupt in 1766, Sayer offered financial assistance to help him stay in business and, in this way, acquired rights to many of the important Jefferys map plates as well as his unpublished research. From about 1774, he began publishing with his apprentice, John Bennett (fl. 1770 - 1784), as Sayer and Bennett, but the partnership was not formalized until 1777. Bennett retired in 1784 following a mental collapse and the imprint reverted to Robert Sayer. From 1790, Sayer added Robert Laurie and James Whittle to his enterprise, renaming the firm Robert Sayer and Company. Ultimately, Laurie and Whittle partnered to take over his firm. Sayer retired to Bath, where, after a long illness, he died. During most of his career, Sayer was based at 53 Fleet Street, London. His work is particularly significant for its publication of many British maps relating to the American Revolutionary War. Unlike many map makers of his generation, Sayer was a good businessman and left a personal fortune and great estate to his son, James Sayer, who never worked in the publishing business. Learn More...
Samuel Holland (1728 - December 28, 1801) was a surveyor and cartographer of extraordinary skill and dedication. Holland was born in the Netherlands in 1728 and, at 17, joined the Dutch Army where he attained the rank of Lieutenant. Around 1754 Holland emigrated to England where he joined the newly forming Royal American Regiment. His skills as a cartographer and surveyor brought him to the attention of his superiors who offered him steady promotions. In 1760 he prepared an important survey of the St. Lawrence River system. It was during this survey that Holland met a young James Cook, who he mentored in the art of surveying. Cook, best known for his exploration of the Pacific, developed many of his own revolutionary nautical surveying techniques based the systems he learnt from Holland. In 1762 Holland caught the attention of the Commission of Trade and Plantations, who governed the British Crown Colonies in America. Under the umbrella of the Trade Commission Holland prepared surveys of the Hudson River Valley and other New York properties. In 1764 he was named Surveyor General for the Northern District, the position in which he did much of his most important work. Holland is also known for surveying done in an attempt to sort out the New York - New Jersey border conflict. Following his work in New York Holland relocated to Canada where, with his new wife of just 21 years, he sired seven children. Like many early surveyors working for colonial governments, Holland was poorly compensated and is known to have supplemented his income by selling the results of his surveys, and those of other surveyors to which he had privileged access, to private publishers, among them the London firm of Laurie and Whittle, who published his work under the pseudonym of 'Captain N. Holland.' Samuel Holland died in Quebec in 1801. Learn More...
Condition
Very good. Printed to two sheets and joined as issued. Some marginal mends and toning. Else excellent with original wash and outline color.
References
OCLC 5402262. Not in Tooley.