Vendée French Department with wonderful farm scene. Napoleon-Vendee. Levasseur antique map c1854

by Levasseur, Victor

Dépt. de la Vendée. Carte Ancienne de Géographie de Département. Antique map of Department of Vendee (originally known as Bas-Poitou), with its capital city of La Roche-su-Yon, and sub-prefectures of Fontenay-le-Comte and Les Sables-d'Olonne. Vendée Department was the site of the hundred years' war. This is a very beautiful map of what is now a peaceful coastal region.

Original steel-engraved map with its geography surrounded by a superbly engraved narrative of the region, with illustrations of produce, commerce, industry, local landmarks, peasants in regional dress, historically important personage, coats of arms, and scrolls containing statistical information. Geographer and engineer Victor Levasseur established his reputation as a mapmaker between 1838 and 1854 with this series of maps for one of the most decorative atlases ever published, Atlas National Illustre (Illustrated National Atlas) published in Paris circa 1854.

The hand-colour within the map is contemporary (from the time of publication). The beautiful hand-colour to the decoratively engraved border is of a later date, but certainly makes this a very beautiful map. With wide margins, approximate measurements are 35 x 52 cm (13.75 x 20.5 inches), with engraved map 275 x 510 mm (11 x 16 inches). Unfortunately, to produce a clear scan the size of the pic and margins is limited.