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1846 Wyld Map of North America w/Republic of Texas
NorthAmerica-wyld-1846$375.00
Title
Map of North America, Exhibiting the recent discoveries. Geographical and Nautical.
1846 (undated) 19 x 15 in (48.26 x 38.1 cm) 1 : 20800000
1846 (undated) 19 x 15 in (48.26 x 38.1 cm) 1 : 20800000
Description
This is the scarce 1846 edition of James Wyld's map of North America including the Republic of Texas. The map covers all of North America from the Arctic to Panama and from Atlantic to Pacific, including Alaska, Greenland, and the West indies. The map includes a sprawling Missouri Territory extending to the Pacific, a double-wide Arkansas, the Northwest Territory, the Republic of Texas, and a speculative California/Great Basin. Wyld probably derived this map from a combination of information from the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwest Company. Accordingly, numerous fur trading forts and early Factory Houses are noted.
Wyld's map reveals an ephemeral Republic of Texas that predates Texan claims in New Mexico which would give rise to the 'Stovepipe' configuration. While the configuration of Teas is eye catching, this map's true interest lies further west in California and the Great Basin. Here Wyld has introduced four new rivers flowing from the Great Basin to the Pacific. In the words of Wheat,
It is not clear when this map was first issued, but variations exist from at least 1828 to 1853, the full run of which gives clear illustration of the evolving political situation in North American from the Texan Revolution, through the entire Republic of Texas period, to the U.S. Annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War, the annexation of upper California, and the California Gold Rush.
Wyld's map reveals an ephemeral Republic of Texas that predates Texan claims in New Mexico which would give rise to the 'Stovepipe' configuration. While the configuration of Teas is eye catching, this map's true interest lies further west in California and the Great Basin. Here Wyld has introduced four new rivers flowing from the Great Basin to the Pacific. In the words of Wheat,
The Map introduces a number of new ideas, such as the R. de Los Mongos and Mackenzie Branch at the height of the Willammarte; L. Yeutaw 'probably L. Timpanagos o the Spaniards,' with R. Sacramento or Timpanagos flowing from it, through 'Ictyaphages,' to San Francisco Bay. The R. Buenaventura flows to the coast at S. Antonio Mission, the R. de las Truches or S. Felipe flows to the sea at S. Luis Obispo, and the R. de los Martires, with which iris connected the R. de los Piramides, reaches the ocean just north of San Diego.Further norther Wyld identifies the 'supposed Strait of Juan d Fuca.' Why Wyld doubts the position of the strait in the light of its thorough survey by the Vancouver expedition in 1799, and regular visits to the region by American and British traders, is unclear. Just south of the strait at the mouth of the Columbia River, he identifies Ft. George, the site of John Jacob Astor's fur trading colony Astoria. While firmly in American hands following the border established in the 1846 Oregon Treaty, Wyld retains the old name.
It is not clear when this map was first issued, but variations exist from at least 1828 to 1853, the full run of which gives clear illustration of the evolving political situation in North American from the Texan Revolution, through the entire Republic of Texas period, to the U.S. Annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War, the annexation of upper California, and the California Gold Rush.
Cartographer
James Wyld I (1790 - 1836) and his son James Wyld II (November 20, 1812 - 1887) were the principles of an English mapmaking dynasty active in London during much of the 19th century. The elder Wyld was a map publisher under William Faden and did considerable work on the Ordinance Survey. On Faden's retirement, Wyld took over Faden's workshop, acquiring many of his plates. Wyld's work can often be distinguished from his son's maps through his imprint, which he signed as 'Successor to Faden'. Following in his father's footsteps, the younger Wyld joined the Royal Geographical Society in 1830 at the tender age of 18. When his father died in 1836, James Wyld II was prepared to fully take over and expand his father's considerable cartographic enterprise. Like his father and Faden, Wyld II held the title of official Geographer to the Crown, in this case, Queen Victoria. In 1852, he moved operations from William Faden's old office at Charing Cross East (1837 - 1852) to a new, larger space at 475 Strand. Wyld II also chose to remove Faden's name from all of his updated map plates. Wyld II continued to update and republish both his father's work and the work of William Faden well into the late 1880s. One of Wyld's most eccentric and notable achievements is his 1851 construction of a globe 19 meters (60 feet) in diameter in the heart of Leicester Square, London. In the 1840s, Wyld also embarked upon a political career, being elected to parliament in 1847 and again in 1857. He died in 1887 following a prolific and distinguished career. After Wyld II's death, the family business was briefly taken over by James John Cooper Wyld (1844 - 1907), his son, who ran it from 1887 to 1893 before selling the business to Edward Stanford. All three Wylds are notable for producing, in addition to their atlas maps, short-run maps expounding upon important historical events - illustrating history as it was happening - among them are maps related to the California Gold Rush, the New South Wales Gold Rush, the Scramble for Africa, the Oregon Question, and more. More by this mapmaker...
Condition
Very good. Minor soiling. Minor left center margin repair on verso.
References
OCLC 54643377. Wheat, C. I., Mapping of the Transmississippi West, 1540 – 1861, #473.