SAN FRANCISCO MONTEREY BAY UNITED STATES 1797 LA PÉROUSE UNUSUAL ANTIQUE CHART

Carte Particuliere d'une partie de la Côte du Nord-Ouest de l'Amérique reconnue par les Frégates Françaises la Boussole et l'Astrolabe en 1786 3.e Feuille.

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine 1797 large fine example of Jean François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse earliest obtainable printed copper engraved sea chart or nautical map of the California and Oregon coastlines from Port de Monterey (Monterey Bay) northwards past the Port de St. Francois (San Francsico Bay) and Cape Mendocino to Cap Rond (Tillamook Head, Oregon). Though minimalist this map exhibits one of the most important early surveys of San Francisco Bay. La Perouse spent roughly 10 days surveying San Francisco Bay making numerous improvements over Jose de Canizares' 1776 Plano del Puerto de Sn. Francisco. Skirting the coast, La Perouse also identifies a number of important landmarks including Cape Mendocino, Port de La Trinite, Cap Blanc (Cape Blanco), and others. The route of the La Perouse expedition is noted as it skirts the coast. In its day the importance of this chart went largely unknown for, though the survey work and original engraving date to 1786, the atlas of La Perouse's discoveries was not officially published until 1798, by which time other more advances mappings of the region had reached the mainstream. Nonetheless, this map is a vital addition to any serious collection focusing on the cartographic development of America's western coast.
 
The composition of the map is precise and methodical, utilizing engraved lines and hachures to indicate relief and topographical features. The prime meridian is centered on Paris, which was a common practice in French cartography of the time. The map includes several coastal landmarks, such as Cape Mendocino and Point Reyes, and it marks significant locations like Monterey Bay with detailed annotations.
 
The medium used for the map is engraving, a popular technique in the 18th century for producing detailed and high-quality images. The style is typical of the period, with an emphasis on accuracy and clarity, devoid of colors, which was customary for practical navigation charts.
 
This work is not only a geographical document but also a cultural artifact that reflects the imperial and scientific ambitions of France during the Age of Enlightenment. The expedition of La Perouse was part of a broader movement of exploration and discovery, driven by the desire to expand geographical knowledge and assert national prestige.
 
The historical context of the map is significant. It was created at a time when European powers were fervently exploring and mapping the unknown parts of the world. La Perouse's voyage was one of the last great French expeditions before the French Revolution, which dramatically altered the political landscape of Europe.
 
In terms of publication, the map is part of an atlas that was noted for its strong impressions and high-quality production. This atlas was intended to accompany La Perouse's narrative of his voyage around the world, providing a visual representation of the areas he explored.
 
Overall, this map is a remarkable example of 18th-century cartography, embodying the scientific rigor and exploratory zeal of its time. It serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of La Perouse and his contributions to the cartographic and navigational knowledge of the northwest coast of America.
 
References: Phillips, 688; Howes. U.S.iana, 93; Mickwitz. A.E. Nordenskiold Collection ... annotated catalogue of maps made up to 1800, v.2 no. 133.
 
Source: Galaup, J. F. (Comte de La Perouse), Atlas du Voyage de la Perouse, (Paris) 1797. 

Date: 1797 ( undated )

Dimension: Paper size approx.: cm 86,2 x 59,2

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on good paper. Paper with chains. Map uncolored. Corners partially missind. Small foxing and browning. Map folded. Conditions are as you can see in the images. 

Mapmaker: Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse (August 23, 1741 - 1788) was a French naval officer, navigator, and explorer active in the later part of the 18th century. Born into a noble family of Albi, France, La Perouse entered the navel college of Brest at just 15. At seventeen La Perouse made his first naval voyage, a supply expedition to the fort of Louisbourg in New France. He later participated in a number of naval battles, mostly against the English, and eventually rose to the rank of Commodore. In 1782 he captured the English forts Prince of Wales and York, making a name for himself back in France. Following the British defeat at the end of the American Revolutionary War, La Perouse was appointed by Louis XVI to lead an expedition of discovery circumnavigating the globe. The goal of the expedition was to complete and correct the maps of the Pacific drawn by Captain Cook. La Perouse's two frigates, the Astrolabe and the Boussole rounded Cape Horn and entered the Pacific in 1785. Crisscrossing the Pacific from Macau and Japan to Alaska, Vancouver, and the Hawaiian Islands Perouse made numerous discoveries and adding considerably to the cartographic corpus, particularly along the coast of British Columbia and around Japan. In Australia La Perouse sent his last letter back to France containing all of his maps and research. Tragically, on the return voyage La Perouse ran into a violent storm which left both of his frigates shipwrecked on the Polynesian island of Vanikoro, part of the Santa Cruz Group. Some of the survivors of the shipwrecks seem to have managed to live on the island for years afterwards. As late as 1790 the English Captain Edward Edwards saw smoke signals coming from Vanikoro but foolishly declined to investigate. Expeditions in 2005 and in 2008 identified the remains of both ships and retuned numerous artifacts from the ill-fated expedition to France. The importance of La Perouse's discoveries was, unfortunately, not seriously appreciated until many years later because, when the La Perouse maps were finally published in 1797, newer more accurate maps of the region were already in circulation. Nonetheless, La Perouse remains of the titans of Pacific exploration and he work paved the path forward for all future expeditions to the region.

Joseph Lepaute Dagelet (1751–1788) was a French astronomer, clockmaker and mathematician who accompanied Lapérouse on his scientific circumnavigation, in the course of which he perished in the final shipwreck of the expedition. Dagelet's astronomical sightings gave precision to the maps posthumously published in the official Atlas du Voyage de la Perouse (Paris: L'Imprimerie de la Republique, An V, 1797). Young Dagelet arrived in Paris in 1767, welcomed by his uncles the renowned clockmakers Jean-André and Jean-Baptiste Lepaute, who held the brevet horlogers du Roi. Through his aunt, Nicole-Reine Lepaute, wife of Jean-André, he discovered his aptitude for astronomy. From his arrival until 1772 he studied in the observatory of the Collège Mazarin, where he was guided by Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande. In 1773 he departed for the South Seas with the expedition of Yves Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec; on his return he was made professor of mathematics at the École Militaire, Paris. Dagelet is known particularly for having calculated the distance between the center of Mercury and the Sun and for his map of the solar eclipse of 1778. Dagelet discovered WY Sagittae, a nova in Sagitta (27-29 July 1783) and was a scientific observer of the balloon ascent of Jacques Alexandre César Charles from the Champ de Mars, Paris, 27 August 1783. He presented his observations of the planets and stars to the Académie des sciences and was received as adjoint and then named astronomer to the Academy in 1785, the year he embarked at Brest on the fatal expedition. After extensively mapping and recording the coastlines of North America, Japan, Korea and Siberia, Lapérouse was directed by the French government to go to Botany Bay to observe the founding of the British Colony by the First Fleet. On 26 January 1788 Lapérouse arrived at Botany Bay, just as the British were leaving for Port Jackson. The French ships stayed at Botany Bay for six weeks and built a stockade, observatory and a garden for fresh produce on the La Perouse peninsula. At Botany Bay Dagelet undertook calculations on map position of Botany Bay, carried out astronomical observations and met with William Dawes at Port Jackson. Dawes volunteered for service with the First Fleet and sailed on the Sirius. From February 1788, he was employed on shore to build an observatory at Dawes Point. Following this meeting Dagelet sent a letter to Dawes (1762-1836) with advice to Dawes on setting up his observatory, recent work on the fluctuations of the Earth's magnetic field and calculations on maps positions of Botany Bay. The island of Dagelet, named in his honour, is now known by its Korean name, Ulleungdo. In Alaska, Mount Dagelet still bears his name.