Northern ITALY. 1st Edition Colton antique map c1855

by Colton, Joseph Hutchins

Italy antique map. Lombardy & Venice, Sardinia, Tuscany, Parma, Modena, Lucca and the States of the Church. Contemporary hand-colour differentiates national and regional boundaries. J.H. Colton & Co. New York, 1855.

Beautiful first edition map of Northern Italy by J.H. Colton. Original steel-engraved map, engraved according to the Act of Congress in the Year 1855 by Joseph Hutchins Colton in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York for Colton's Atlas of the World published at J.H. Colton & Co., No. 172 William St. New York, in 1856. Topographic details are included together with cities, towns, mountains and rivers, with national and regional boundaries differentiated by contemporary hand-applied watercolour - all within Colton's typical stylized architectural motif border.

Joseph Hutchins Colton began publishing maps in the 1830s, after purchasing the map plates of David H. Burr. In the early 1850s Joseph’s sons George Woolworth Colton and Charles B. Colton headed the family firm. The decorative borders around each map became a signature of Colton presentation and assisted in establishing the Colton firm as the pre-eminent American cartographers of the day. In 1859 Colton sold their map plates to A.J. Johnson who, with a series of partners, continued to produce maps in the Colton style until 1885.

This map has the usual age discolouration at the page edges, and is in good condition except for slight damage at the lower left corner of the page. Image size: 325 x 405mm (12 3/4 x 16 inches), Page size: 390 x 455mm (15 1/4 x 18 inches).
This map has been framed with conservation materials and a subtle but decorative gold frame. External measurement is 63 x 57cm. (Please email for picture of frame.)
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