The 1864 Johnson Family Atlas is a highly collectible 18th century cartographic masterpiece. Published during the American Civil War.
Key Historical & Cartographic Features
The 1864 edition is notable for capturing the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape of the American West and the active campaigns of the Civil War.
- Civil War Era Geography: The United States is depicted as undivided, though the map includes specific tactical, double-page maps (such as the Vicinity of Richmond and the Peninsular Campaign).
- Shifting State Borders: Territorial borders differ significantly from modern maps. For example, Idaho spans across present-day Montana and Wyoming, while Nevada stops at the 37th parallel, placing Las Vegas inside Arizona.
- The "Fretwork" Border: 1864 marks the transition in Johnson's cartographic style, introducing the decorative fretwork or "grillwork" border resembling ironwork, replacing earlier strapwork designs.
- Contents: Original folio editions contain over 60 hand-colored maps, alongside plates charting the mountains and rivers, national flags, and a chronological history of the Civil War.
All pages intact with the exception of the Indiana map, it has been removed, but is included.
Approx size: 18.5 x 15 x 2 inches