UNITED STATES 1876 STÜLPNAG/STIELER UNUSUAL ANTIQUE ORIGINAL STEEL ENGRAVED MAP

Verein-Staaten von Nord-America, Mexico, Yucatan u.A.

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine unusual original colored steel engraved map of the United States and Mexico, showing much of the western United States as territories. The map includes the transcontinental railroad, other western rail lines, forts, indigenous peoples, and other details. Many of the western states were still territories, and the boundaries may have changed. A detailed map of the area around Mexico City is included. The text is in German, with some place names in English.
 
Composition and Technique:
 
The map is a detailed engraving with hand-colored outlines indicating political boundaries. The use of color helps distinguish the various states and territories, with the boundaries highlighted in blue and yellow. The map includes an inset of the "Altiplano de México," providing additional geographical detail.
 
Style and Subject:
 
This work exemplifies the cartographic style of the late 19th century, characterized by precision and clarity. It shows political and administrative boundaries, cities, roads, railroads, canals, rivers, lakes, and mountains. Relief is represented by hatching and elevations, while depths are indicated by soundings, providing an idea of ​​topographical and hydrological features. Historical and Cultural Context:
 
The map reflects the geopolitical landscape of North America in the post-Civil War period, during a period of rapid expansion and development in the United States. It illustrates the growth of railroads and the importance of transportation networks during that era. The map also shows European possessions and exploration routes, highlighting colonial influences and interests in the region.
 
Significant Elements:
 
- Political Boundaries: The map outlines state boundaries with distinct colors, indicating the territorial organization of the era.
 
- Transportation Networks: Railroads are clearly visible, demonstrating their role in economic development and westward expansion.
 
- Geographical Features: The inclusion of rivers, mountain ranges, and the Gulf of Mexico emphasizes both the natural landscape and its impact on settlement patterns.
 
- Detailed Map: The "Plateau of Mexico" detailed map provides specific information on the topography of central Mexico, an area of ​​considerable historical and cultural significance.
 
Publication and Series Information:
 
This map is part of the sixth edition of Stieler's Hand-Atlas, a comprehensive world atlas of 91 maps, published between 1871 and 1875. The atlas is known for its quality engraving and detailed depiction of global geography.
 
In summary, this map is a valuable historical document that offers insights into the political, economic, and geographical situation of North America in the late 19th century. Its detailed depiction of borders, transportation networks, and natural features makes it a valuable resource for understanding the cartographic and geopolitical dynamics of the era.
 
The map was originally drawn by the German cartographer Friedrich von Stülpnagel and engraved on copperplate by C. Metzeroth.

Date: 1876 ( dated )

Dimension: Paper size approx.: cm 48,1 x 38,4

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on good paper. Map old original colored. Small foxing and browning. Small moisture signs. Small marginal tears. Map folded. Conditions are as you can see in the images.

Mapmakers: Adolf Stieler (1775 – 1836) was a German cartographer who worked most of his life in the Justus Perthes Geographical Institute in Gotha. His atlases are deservedly held in high esteem for their excellence. His Handatlas was the leading German world atlas until the middle of the 20th century, parts of which were printed until 1944.

Johann Friedrich von Stülpnagel (March 13, 1786 - October 18, 1865) was a Prussian cartographer and military officer. He joined the Old Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 7 under the command of Carl Philipp von Owstin in August 1804, became and ensign in December 1806 and a second lieutenant in June 1807. He married Sophie Charlotte Keßler (1791 - 1866) in 1810, with whom he had ten children, eight of which survived him. During Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign, von Stülpnagel was captured by the Russians at the end of November 1812. He participated in nearly every campaign between 1806 and 1815 and fought in Germany, Russian, the Netherlands, and France. He was forced to retire from the army in 1822 after an ear ailment caused him to become almost totally deaf. At this point, not being a wealthy individual, he moved to Wandersleben and started working as a draftsman for Justus Perthes, the geographic publisher, in 1823. At Justus Perthes he worked with Adolf Stieler on his 'Handatlas'. Von Stülpnagel soon ranked among one of the 'pillars of the business' and drafted numerous supplementary sheets and corrections for the Handatlas. Stülpnagel officially retired from the army on September 10, 1835 as a captain. Stülpnagel moved to Gotha after Stieler's death in 1836 and continued to work on Stieler's Handatlas with Heinrich Berghaus and Joseph Christoph Bär. He worked less and less beginning in 1863 because of age-related complaints. Von Stülpnagel died at seventy-nine years old and left behind his wife and eight children.


Johan Georg Justus Perthes (September 11, 1749 - May 2, 1816) was one of the most important German cartographic engravers of the 19th century. He was born in the Thuringian town of Rudolstadt, the son of a court physician. In 1778, he began working as a bookseller in Gotha. Perthes began his publishing empire shortly thereafter with the 1784 issue of the famed survey of European nobility known as the Almanac de Gotha. In the next year, 1785, he founded the cartographic firm of Justus Perthes Geographische Anstalt Gotha. His son Wilhelm Perthes (1793 - 1853) joined the firm in 1814. Wilhelm had prior publishing experience at the firm of Justus Perthes' nephew, Friedrich Christoph Perthes, who ran a publishing house in Hamburg. After Justus Perthes died in 1816, Wilhelm took charge and laid the groundwork for the firm to become a cartographic publishing titan. From 1817 to 1890. the Perthes firm issued thousands of maps and more than 20 different atlases. Along with the visionary editors Hermann Berghaus (1797 - 1884), Adolph Stieler (1775 - 1836), and Karl Spruner (1803 - 1892), the Perthes firm pioneered the Hand Atlas. When Wilhelm retired, management of the firm passed to his son, Bernhardt Wilhelm Perthes (1821 – 1857). Bernhardt brought on the cartographic geniuses August Heinrich Peterman (1822 - 1878) and Bruno Hassenstein (1839 - 1902). The firm was subsequently passed to a fourth generation in the form of Berhanrd Perthes (1858 – 1919), Bernhard Wilhelm's son. The firm continued in the family until 1953 when, being in East Germany, it was nationalized and run as a state-owned enterprise as VEB Hermann Haack Geographisch-Kartographische Anstalt Gotha. The Justus family, led by Joachim Justus Perthes and his son Wolf-Jürgen Perthes, relocated to Darmstadt where they founded the Justus Perthes Geographische Verlagsanstalt Darmstadt.