1870 "Johnson's Illinois" Map Published by A. J. Johnson
Presented is an original 1870 "Johnson's Illinois" map. First published in 1864, this map was issued as pages 66 and 67 in the 1870 edition of “Johnson's New Illustrated (Steel Plate) Family Atlas.” The map is engraved, with attractive hand coloring and a decorative border. Illinois is labeled, outlined in pink, and colored by county. Depicted but not colored are the neighboring states of Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, and Kentucky. The map is beautifully detailed, with railroads, roads, rivers and creeks, mountain ranges, and important cities and towns all marked. The map also shows Lake Michigan and its coastline in nice detail.
The publishing company of A.J. Johnson was a successor of Johnson and Ward, a successor to Johnson and Browning, themselves a successor to the famous publishing company, J. H. Colton and Company. A combination of both new plates and older, updated ones, all of the maps in this famous 1870 atlas were compiled, drawn, and engraved under the supervision of A. J. Johnson.
This 1870 publication of “Johnson's New Illustrated (Steel Plate) Family Atlas” is also notable for its inclusion of a treatise on physical geography by Professor A. Guyot, marking the first year his essay appeared and his name featured on the cover. The atlas was recognized with a First Prize Medal at the Universal Exposition of 1867 in Paris.
“Johnson's New Illustrated Family Atlas” was a comprehensive world atlas featuring 60 full-color maps. Designed to be both educational and a decorative addition to a home library, it reflected the 19th-century fascination with detailed and ornate cartographic publications. In addition to maps, the atlas included geographical, statistical, and historical information, as well as a dictionary of religious denominations, a testament to its extensive scope and utility. The treatise on physical geography by A. Guyot further demonstrates that period’s growing interest in scientific inquiry, making the atlas a valuable resource not just for navigation and geography, but also for understanding the natural world.
CONDITION:
Very good+ condition. Hand Colored. Page 66 and 67 from “Johnson's New Illustrated (Steel Plate) Family Atlas.” Vertical map. Decorative border. Colored by county in Illinois, uncolored for bordering states of Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, and Kentucky. Publication line reads: "Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1864, by A.J. Johnson, in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York". Full margins. Light toning, staining at right. Map Dimensions: 26 1/2" H x 18"W.
Artfully framed in a custom-built wooden frame with UV plexiglas and acid-free mats. Framed Dimensions: 32" H x 26 1/4" W x 1 1/8" D.
Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.
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1870 "Johnson's Illinois" Map Published by A. J. Johnson
Colorado
1 Lake Avenue
Colorado Springs CO 80906
United States
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