This is a very rare opportunity to purchase a vintage map of The Crimea, the work of the famous mapmaker and engraver John Rapkin (1813 - 1899). The map is engraved and hand coloured by Mr Rapkin and features an astonishing level of detail including a detailed map of Sebastopol Harbour subtitled 'BEFORE its Investment by the Allies'. In addition there are fabulous vignettes of Sebastopol, Eupatoria, the Banks of the Alma and Balaklava harbour - all the work of the equally famous architectural illustrator Henry Winkles (1801 - 1860) on behalf of the London Printing and Publishing Company.

The map is currently framed by a brown card frame mount. The actual map size is 33.5 cm x 25.8 cm or 44.0 cm x 37.5 in its mount.

Although the map had been dated at '1851' by the map shop from which I purchased it, the obvious theme is the Crimean War (1853-6) theatre of operations on the Crimean Peninsula, featuring the battlefields and significant sites of that conflict - undoubtedly to meet the demand for information of a Victorian audience.

 

This is a fascinating map of an area sadly still a subject of conflict today. It has real 'character' - the work of two of the great artists of their time and a real piece of Victorian memorabilia.