The West Indian atlas [frontispiece] : or, a general description of the West Indies

Add to My Favorites

The West Indian atlas [frontispiece]
This map is also available in American Revolutionary Geographies Online (ARGO), a collections portal especially built for material relating to the American Revolutionary War Era. Visit ARGO to learn more about this item and explore the historical geography of North America in the late eighteenth century.

Item Information

Title:
The West Indian atlas [frontispiece] : or, a general description of the West Indies
Description:
Engraved title page depicting natives, a trader, barrels of goods and indigenous flora and fauna on an island. Ships and other islands in the background. Putto with a trident and a torch above the title.
We Are One: Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to the King, compiled an atlas devoted exclusively to the Caribbean region because of its importance within Britain’s commercial empire. The atlas’s frontispiece, like map cartouches of the period, aims to evoke the economic and cultural landscape of the region. This iconic scene shows the African slaves who worked the Caribbean sugar plantations, which had very high mortality rates. Bundles of sugar cane lie on the right. The barrels shown most likely contain molasses, a byproduct of sugar production and a chief export along with sugar. The large ships in the background could have transported these commodities to other North American colonies or Europe.
Creator:
Jefferys, Thomas, -1771
Contributor:
Robert Sayer and John Bennett (Firm)
Date:
1783
Format:
Maps/Atlases
Location:
Boston Public Library
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center
Collection (local):
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Collection
Subjects:
West Indies--Pictorial works
Places:
West Indies
Extent:
1 sheet ; 46 x 71 cm
Terms of Use:
No known copyright restrictions.
No known restrictions on use.
Publisher:
London : Printed for Robt. Sayer & John Bennett
Scale:
No scale
Language:
English
Notes:
Title page from Jeffery's West-India atlas. London: Robert Sayer and John Bennett, 1783.
Includes latitude and longitude (from Ferro and London) scales.
Boston Public Library copy removed from the atlas (G1600 .J44 1783).
Notes (exhibitions):
Exhibited: "We Are One: Mapping America's Road from Revolution to Independence" organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, 2015.
Identifier:
06_01_014249
Call #:
G1600 .J44 1783
Barcode:
39999065701805