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Early maps

Orbis typus universalis iuxta : hydrographorum traditionem

Map

This exquisite woodcut map is one of the first to show any part of North America. It originally appeared in the 1513 Strasbourg edition of Ptolemy's Geographia. The mapmaker, Martin Waldseemuller, made a trial version of this map in 1507 which contains the name "America" printed over Brazil; the only known copy is at Brown University. In the same year he printed a large wall map showing both North and South America; the only known copy is at the Library of Congress. After six years of further work, Waldseemuller finished his edition of Ptolemy in 1513. He supplemented its 27 ancient maps with 20 "modern" ones, including two showing discoveries by Columbus and Vespucci. This is the first of those, called "Hydrographia sive Charta marina" in the table of contents. The map that followed it in the volume, "Tabula Terre Nove," shows South America and the Caribbean in greater detail. The Wisconsin Historical Society ownership stamp was applied in 1896, but no other provenance data appears to survive. A clipped catalog description pasted in the right margin (listing its price at 30 francs) suggests that it had passed through the hands of a French dealer.

Date Created:
1513
Creator:
Waldseemüller, Martin, 1470-1519 (cartographer)

Publication Information

Creator Waldseemüller, Martin, 1470-1519 (cartographer)
Publisher [Strasbourg, I. Schotti?]
Date Created 1513
Language Latin

Physical Description

Format Map
Extent 1 map
Dimensions 77 x 61 cm

Collection Information

Digital Collection Maps and Atlases
Call Number GX11 1513 W
Catalog Record https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/9910104469002121

Copyright Information

Copyright Status NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES
Rights Holder Wisconsin Historical Society
Unique ID
W014BLE
Legacy ID
WHi 56247

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Prints
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Western Hemisphere

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