Canada

Historical maps, maritime charts, and views of Canada, Newfoundland, Acadia, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

Archival Category: Regional Cartography | Era: 18th Century | Geography: North America | Holdings: 7 items.

Cataloged Works in this Collection

  • Carte de la Partie de l'Amérique Septentrionale qui comprend les Possessions Anglaises

    Cartographer / Artist: French School

    Date: c. 1780

    Medium: Copperplate engraving

    Dimensions: 7.94 × 7.4 inches

    Location: North America

    This fine late 18th-century French copperplate engraved map depicts the northern and eastern portions of North America, focusing on British territorial possessions post-1763. The cartography covers the Atlantic seaboard from Virginia and Pennsylvania north through New England, Quebec, Labrador, Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and extending upward into Baffin Bay and Greenland. Major waterways, including the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes system (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario), and the upper reaches of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, are clearly delineated with period nomenclature. The interior highlights regions noted as 'Pays inconnu' alongside early indigenous and colonial regional designations. Visual features include a neat rectangular title cartouche in the upper left corner and header text referencing its inclusion in a historical treatise ('Hist. Univ. Part. Mod. Tome 116 Page 134'). Prime meridian lines are calculated from both Ferro Island and Paris, and a distance scale of leagues is positioned in the lower right corner.

  • Dominia Anglorum in America Septentrionali: Newfoundland, Terra Nova, S. Laurentii Bay, Acadia, nebst einem Theil New Schotland

    Cartographer / Artist: Herman Moll / Homann Heirs

    Date: c. 1740

    Medium: Hand-colored copperplate engraving

    Dimensions: Unframed sheet

    Location: Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

    This fine hand-colored copperplate engraved map depicts the British possessions in North America ('Dominia Anglorum in America Septentrionali'), specifically focusing on Newfoundland (Terra Nova), the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Acadia (Nova Scotia), Cape Breton, and eastern Canada. Originally created by the prominent London cartographer Herman Moll ('Mollio edita'), this updated version was re-engraved and reissued in Nuremberg by the celebrated publishing house of the Homann Heirs ('Homannianis Hered.'). The map features a bold top banner in Latin and an inset title box in German detailing the regional coverage. Geographically, the map provides rich detail essential to 18th-century transatlantic commerce and fishery rights. It prominently marks the vital cod fishing grounds including 'The Great Fishing Bank of New Found Land' (Grand Banks), Banquero Bank, Verte Bank, and the treacherous Sholes of Sable Island. Coastal features such as St. John's, Annapolis Royal, Fort Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Anticosti Island, and the Bay of Fundy are delineated with accuracy, highlighted by vibrant hand-colored regional outlines. Published during a period of fierce Anglo-French territorial disputes in North America prior to the Seven Years' War, maps of this maritime region held immense geopolitical and economic significance. The inclusion of bilingual titles and notes underscores its wide distribution among European scholars, statesmen, and merchants seeking to understand the shifting boundaries of the New World.

  • Carte de l'Accadie et Pais Voisins

    Cartographer / Artist: Jacques-Nicolas Bellin

    Date: 1757

    Medium: Copperplate engraving

    Dimensions: 15.3 × 7.7 inches

    Location: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Canada

    This mid-eighteenth-century copperplate engraved map, created by the renowned French hydrographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin in 1757, provides a detailed geographic overview of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and parts of Prince Edward Island) and neighboring maritime regions. Published during the Seven Years' War, the map delineates vital coastal configurations, harbors, rivers, and settlements across the Bay of Fundy ('Baye Francoise'), Prince Edward Island ('Isle Saint Jean'), and Cape Breton Island ('Isle Royale'). Prominently featured are key strategic sites including Louisbourg, Port Royal ('Annapolis Royal'), and Halifax, reflecting the intense geopolitical rivalry between France and Great Britain for control of North America. Annotations such as 'Bancs de l'Acadie ou la Pesche est tres bonne' emphasize the immense economic value of the Atlantic fisheries. The lower right corner is anchored by a charming rococo cartouche enclosing the map's title and scale, produced for Abbé Prévost's monumental publication 'Histoire Générale des Voyages'.

  • A FUR TRAIN FROM THE FAR NORTH.

    Cartographer / Artist: Frederic Remington

    Date: 1888

    Medium: Print

    Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.2 inches

    Location: Canada

    A compelling 1888 wood engraving after Frederic Remington depicting a convoy of horse-drawn carts transporting pelts and supplies across the rugged terrain of the Far North during the late 19th-century fur trade era.

  • Carte du Golphe de St. Laurent et Pays Voisins

    Cartographer / Artist: Jacques-Nicolas Bellin

    Date: c. 1757

    Medium: Copperplate engraving

    Dimensions: 13.9 × 9.1 inches

    Location: Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Newfoundland, Quebec, Canada

    This finely detailed 18th-century French chart depicts the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and its surrounding maritime regions, including Newfoundland (Terre-Neuve), Isle Royale (Cape Breton Island), Isle Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), Anticosti Island, and the Gaspé Peninsula. Engraved by royal hydrographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, the map was created to accompany Abbé Prévost's monumental travel compilation, Histoire Générale des Voyages. The chart provides a comprehensive geographical overview of the strategic maritime entrance into New France during a pivotal period of Anglo-French imperial rivalry in North America. The map illustrates coastal topographies, shoals, soundings, and anchorages essential for trans-Atlantic navigation and fishing fleets. Native regional ethnonyms and territories are prominently recorded across the northern mainland, including Papinachois, Les Ounescapi, Les Esquimaux, and Gaspesiens. Key historic French colonial sites, such as the strategic fortress of Louisbourg on Isle Royale and various fishing ports along Newfoundland's coast, are also clearly denoted. Visually anchored by an elegant rococo title cartouche at the lower right, the chart features a scale measured in French leagues ('Lieues communes de France') and a longitude grid oriented to the Paris Meridian. Bottom marginal text denotes its publication parameters in Tome 14, Page 263, representing a fine example of mid-18th-century French cartographic craftsmanship.

  • Carte de l'Isle de Terre-Neuve, l'Acadie, ou la Nouvelle Écosse, l'Isle St. Jean et la Partie Orientale du Canada

    Cartographer / Artist: Rigobert Bonne

    Date: c. 1780

    Medium: Copperplate engraving with hand coloring

    Dimensions: 14.5 × 9.7 inches

    Location: Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States

    This fine late 18th-century map by French cartographer Rigobert Bonne illustrates Eastern Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States. Depicted in detailed topographical and hydrographical detail are Newfoundland (Isle de Terre-Neuve), Nova Scotia (Acadia/Nouvelle Écosse), Prince Edward Island (l'Isle St. Jean), Anticosti Island, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Labrador, Quebec, and coastal New England down to Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The map highlights key fishing grounds such as the Grand Banks (Grand Banc de Terre-neuve) alongside coastal soundings and shoals essential for maritime navigation. Rigobert Bonne served as the official Hydrographer to the French Navy (Ingénieur-Hydrographe de la Marine), resulting in highly accurate geographic projections for the period. The map features dual longitude indicators measured from the Prime Meridians of Ferro (top axis) and Paris (bottom axis). Distinct regional outlines are enhanced with period wash coloring, separating British and French territorial claims, indigenous tribal regions (such as the Iroquois, Micmacs, and Mistassins), and colonial settlements.

  • L'Isle de Terre-Neuve, L'Acadie, ou La Nouvelle Ecosse, L'Isle St Jean et la Partie Orientale du Canada

    Cartographer / Artist: Rigobert Bonne

    Date: c. 1780

    Medium: Hand-colored copperplate engraving

    Dimensions: 14.1 × 9.7 inches

    Location: Eastern Canada, Maritime Provinces, and Northeastern United States

    This finely engraved 18th-century map by French hydrographer Rigobert Bonne depicts Eastern Canada and the northeastern territory of present-day North America, encompassing Newfoundland (Terre-Neuve), Nova Scotia (L'Acadie), Prince Edward Island (L'Isle St. Jean), New England, New York, and parts of Pennsylvania. Published during a pivotal era of trans-Atlantic trade and colonial conflict, the chart features precise hydrographic details, coastal soundings, and river systems vital for navigation in the North Atlantic. The visual composition relies on original outline hand-coloring to delineate various colonial domains, native territories (including the Eskimaux, Mistassins, and Iroquois), and maritime features such as the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Notable settlements and strategic points recorded include Quebec, Montreal, Louisbourg, Halifax, Boston, and New York. Distance scales in French marine leagues and English miles are integrated into the upper and lower borders, demonstrating the cartographic rigor of Bonne's work for the French Hydrographic Office.