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1845 Munson Wall Map of the United States
UnitedStates-munson-1845$3,250.00
Title
A New and Embellished Map of the United States.
1845 (dated) 38.5 x 50.5 in (97.79 x 128.27 cm) 1 : 2500000
1845 (dated) 38.5 x 50.5 in (97.79 x 128.27 cm) 1 : 2500000
Description
An extremely rare 1845 wall map of the United States by Samuel Bishop Munson and Amos Doolittle. The map reveals the United States during the buildup to the Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848). It illustrates the Republic of Texas on the cusp of annexation. American Indian nations in the Transmississippi appear in excellent detail. The border work has a mid-western focus, with inset views of river towns on or connected to the Mississippi: St. Louis, Louisville, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Nashville, and Pittsburgh.
American Indian Lands
A great deal of attention is lavished on the American Indian lands in the Transmississippi. These include shading to indicate territorial claims and population statistics. In some instances, extant and proposed reservations are noted. Along the modern-day Iowa-Wisconsin border the cartographer has highlighted the 'Neutral Ground', two swathes of territory ceded to the federal government following the Black Hawk War (1832).Republic of Texas
Texas is represented late in the Republic Period and the Lone Star medallion appears in the lower left. Although Texas had not yet officially joined the United States, in 1844, Congress voted to annex Texas - a process that went into effect on December 29, 1845. Here eastern Texas exhibits an early but increasingly complex county structure, multiple established towns, and an embryonic road system.Publication History and Census
This map was published in 1845 by Doolittle and Munson out of Cincinnati, Ohio. We note but three examples in known collections: Brown University, Virginia Historical, and Ohio History Connection.CartographerS
Samuel Bishop Munson (May 29, 1806 - April 18, 1880) was an American engraver based in New Haven, Connecticut and later Cincinnati, Ohio. Munson was born in New Haven, Connecticut and studied engraving under Simeon Smith Jocelyn (1799 - 1879). He relocated to Cincinnati in 1836, immediately establishing a business partnership with Curtis Miller Doolittle (1799 - 1849), 'Doolittle and Munson', engravers of maps and bank notes. In 1838, he married Hannah Selina Sellew (1814 - 1861). More by this mapmaker...
Amos Doolittle (May 18, 1754 - February 2, 1832) was an American engraver, silversmith, and map publisher active in Connecticut during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Most likely because of the overlap in their careers and lifetimes, Doolittle is often referred to as the 'Revere of Connecticut'. He was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, the son of Ambrose and Martha Munson Doolittle. He apprenticed under the silversmith Eliakim Hitchcock. Doolittle was a self-taught artist who specialized in copper engraved scenes from the American Revolutionary War. Having acquired a considerable reputation as an engraver, Doolittle was sought out by many early Americans eager to learn the art, including James Wilson and Ralph Earl. Cartographically Doolittle is recognized for engraving several important maps of New Haven and Connecticut. Later in life he began publishing as 'Amos Doolittle and Son', having brought his sone into the business. We do not know who this is, but at least one imprint is signed 'Amos and A. B. Doolittle', so he may be Amos Jr.? During the Revolutionary War he served under Benedict Arnold as a member of the Governor's Second Company of Guards. Following the war he settled in New Haven, Connecticut and is buried in that town's Grove Street Cemetery. Learn More...
Condition
Very good. Full professional restoration. Some infill to margins.
References
OCLC 70793886.