Bidspirit auction | Arrowsmith - Map of Van

Arrowsmith - Map of Van Diemens Land or Tasmania, New Holland or Australia - This large folio engraving is from John Arrowsmith's The London Atlas of Universal Geography, exhibiting the physical & political divisions of the various countries of the world, constructed from original materials . The work was published in London by J. Arrowsmith in 1850, dated 1842. This is one of the finest 19th-century English atlases, and of particular note was his map of Texas and maps of Australia. This is an exceptional early map of Tasmania or Van Diemen's Land. It shows the island during an important time of its settlement as it became Tasmania in 1853 and the last shipment of convicts arrived in this period. Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, discovered the island in 1642 naming it Van Diemen's Land. The British took possession in 1803 and used it as a penal colony. The island received its last shipment of convicts and became Tasmania in 1853 after rich geological resources were found including gold, zinc, copper, silver, tin, and lead. Arrowsmith's map was developed from manuscript surveys with large portions of the area yet to be surveyed. John Arrowsmith was one of the greatest geographers of his era. He was a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society. He introduced the London Atlas in 1834 with subsequent editions dated 1840, 1842, and 1858 but as he continuously added new maps there's no determined collation for each edition. He also continuously updated and corrected his maps which drew their information from documents supplied by `The Colonial Office, the Hydrographical Office of the Admiralty, the East India Company, the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Geographical Society', and numerous other `Offices, Companies, and Societies'. Paper Size: ~ 23 - 24 3/4” by 21 1/2” (Fold Out)