Lot 136: Bouchette's monumental and rare wall map of Lower Canada

[WALL MAP-CANADA]

BOUCHETTE, JOSEPH. To His Royal Highness George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland, this Topographical map of Lower Canada shewing its division into Districts, Counties, Seigniories, & Townships, with all the lands reserved both for the Crown & the Clergy... London: William Faden, August 12th, 1815. Engraved map on ten sheets, dissected and sewn along the edges to an original pale blue/silver edging forming ten panels. Engraved by J. Walker & Sons. Overall about 58 x 130 inches; 4.8 x 10.8 feet (147 x 330 cm); very nicely presented in five vertical plex-glass frames containing two sections each. A border separating the right four sections from the left six appears to have been trimmed at an early date to form the continuous image. Very fine condition overall, the corners of each section tipped to a cloth backing, very light spotting and offsetting, the edging very well preserved, not fully removed from the frames.

Joseph Bouchette's very rare and impressive wall map of Lower Canada depicts the region of Southeastern Canada along the St. Lawrence River to Montreal with portions of the United States below. It is a tour-de-force of engraving. In the Northeast, the mouth of the St. Lawrence River slightly inland is shown as above the Province of Maine in the Southeast. Continuing along the river, the map reaches Quebec at the center and extends to Montreal and Upper Canada at the Northwest. Below Quebec and Montreal are shown parts of the states of New York and Vermont as divided by Lake Champlain. The map offers detailed inset plans of the City of Quebec, the Town of Montreal, and the Town of Three Rivers. Inset views at upper right show islands including The Brandy Pots, The Pilgrims, and The Pillars and Goose. A lighthouse is depicted on Green Island and the map has lots of other intricate detail including an elegant cartouche with a waterfall, city view, and camp scene.

In the title, Bouchette signs the dedication to this monumental wall map Surveyor General of the Province, his post since 1804. Following the War of 1812, the map was commissioned by the Canadian Legislature. The manuscript was prepared by 1814 and with a grant from the legislature and public subscriptions was in production in London later that year and issued in 1815 separately from Bouchette's A Topographical Description of the Province of Lower Canada. While other Bouchette maps of Upper Canada are more frequently encountered, the wall map of Lower Canada is scarce and we trace few copies in the auction record.