III. Embellished Geography

This map is a prime example of seventeenth-century Dutch cartography at its best it combines accurate and detailed geogra­phy with elegant design, engraving, embellishment, and color. The geographic view from Chesapeake Bay to Penobscot Bay is the most advanced of its time, showing virtually all known towns and settlements, the locations of each Indian tribe encountered by the settlers, and the first relatively accurate delineation of the island of Manhattan. This map served as the model for maps of the region for nearly a century, and was used in 1685 for settlement of the boundary dispute between William Penn and Lord Baltimore. Tastefully applied outline color delineates boundaries of European colonies. Decorative vignettes positioned in otherwise empty spaces portray Indian stockades, indigenous animals and birds, two compass roses, a European sailing ship, and a native canoe and dugout The most remarkable decorative element is the panoramic inset view of "Nieuw Amsterdam" as it appeared in about 1652; this is the third known engraved view of New York, with its detailed depiction of topography, dwellings, the fort, a church, a windmill, a crane, and even a gallows!

This map exemplifies the rampant plagiarism practiced by map-makers of the period. It is essentially a direct copy of object 8, including the decorative vignettes, with minor additions and geographic updating. The only major changes are the inset view and its title, "Restitutio," proclaiming the Dutch recapture of New York from the English. The view depicts New York, now a city instead of a village, with cannon firing and soldiers on the waterfront at the moment of victory. Allegorical figures atop the inset portray vanquished England as a solitary disconsolate and disheveled woman (at left), and victorious Holland as an Amazo­nian figure with victory wreath in hand, adored by grateful citizens and abetted by the god Mercury, with subservient natives at her feet offering tribute. The bold and exuberant colors convey the spirit of patriotic celebration.

This map and the Ogilby map above illustrate some of the competitive practices of seventeenth-century mapmakers. Copying of maps was common, since copyright protection was limited within countries and virtually nonexistent across national borders. In this case, the similarity is due to a complex pattern of plagiarism: the Ogilby map was printed from a plate by Arnoldus Montanus, who copied from the Jansson map, which itself was largely taken from a map of Willem Blaeu. The ornate frames of the explanatory panels at the top center of both maps are of identical design; the checkerboard-style mileage scales in the lower left differ only in their decorative borders. The title panels or "cartouches" (lower right) are entirely different in design, but contain virtually identical wording, copied from Blaeu. In spite of the fact that both maps are outdated, their titles describe them as "novissima et accuratissima" (newest and most accurate). The land vignettes are similar, but on the Jansson map are larger and contain more detailed views of native activities. The seas display fewer ships and more ornamental lettering of the classic Dutch "swash" variety, characterized by flowing italic script with elegant flourishes. Allegorical figures surrounding the title and mileage-scale panels on the two maps are different, reflecting a touch of originality or, more likely, copying from different sources.

This chart of the coast of Brittany is from the English edition of the first atlas of printed sea charts and is the first to show offshore details such as soundings, anchorages, channels, and navigational hazards. Although intended as a practical navigational tool, its Dutch origins are evident in the elegant engraving, ornamentation, and coloring. Sailing ships, sea monsters, and a handsome compass rose adorn the open sea, which is depicted in a distinctive wave pattern with smaller waves and calmer waters along the shoreline. Islands and shorelines are depicted in a unique fashion, with almost pictorial profiles of topographical contours and buildings, to facilitate recognition from vessels offshore. Additional coastal profiles are superimposed over blank inland areas. Geographical details are limited to the coastal areas, not because information concerning the interior was lacking but because it was irrelevant to the seafarer. The interior space is given over to an elaborate title cartouche and to a decorative portrayal of rolling landscapes populated not by exotic creatures and savages but by domesticated animals of a civilized European country.