The maps team has recently been going through a large collection of rolled maps donated to the Bodleian. Most are wall maps from the 1900s, a mixture of school, thematic and even a number where sheets from a series have been stuck together to make a topographic map of a large area. These maps can be challenging, often having conservation and, due to their size, storage issues.

Occasionally one stands out from the rest, as is the case with ‘Colombia Prima, or South America, in which it has been attempted to delineate the Extent of our Knowledge of that Continent...’. Not only is it big (coming in at a whooping 239 cm by 164 cm, and too big to get a decent picture of*, Ordnance Survey Landranger cover top left to give an idea of size) it’s also a beautifully made map.

Colombia Prima or South America, in which it has been attempted to delineate the Extent of our Knowledge of that Continent. : Extracted Chiefly from the original manuscript maps of His Excellency the late Chevalier Pinto; Likewise from those of João Joaquim da Rocha, João da Costa Ferreira; El Padre Francisco Manuel Sobreviela &c. and from most authentic edited accounts of those countries. 1807, (R) H1 (328)

Dating from 1807, it’s the most detailed of the early maps of South America we have. The map is full of topographic and ethnic information; numerous mines are listed with mineral content (gold, unsurprisingly, frequently mentioned) and tribes named and described, often in a way showing off European prejudice. For instance those on the east coast in and around Brazil are often described as being either at war with the Portuguese, each other or just plain cannibals.

The title hints though at the most remarkable aspect of the map. ‘…it has been attempted to delineate the Extent of our Knowledge of that Continent…’ for this truly is a collaborative effort. The origins for the cartography are the manuscript maps of ‘His excellency the late Chevalier Pinto’, probably Antônio Correia Pinto, who mapped the Amazon in the 1670s. Others mentioned in the title are: João Joaquim da Rocha, who was mapping the continent at the time this map was published, João da Costa Ferreira and El Padre Francisco Manuel Sobreviela, who arrived in South America in 1785 and, like Pinto, mapped the Amazon. As well as drawing maps these men wrote about the continent, their explorations and discoveries and these documents were also used by William Faden, ‘Geographer to his Majesty and to his Royal Highness the prince of Wales’ to create this cartographic masterpiece.

The map dates from a crucial time in South American history. One of the features the map shows is colonial territory (the colours have faded a little but originally Spanish territory was in orange, Portuguese red, Dutch yellow and French blue) but the French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic wars changed long-established claims and soon the Spanish American Wars of Independence, led by men such as Simón Bolívar, meant that by 1833, when the last edition of this map was published, most of South America was free of European rule.

Extract showing border colours between Dutch and French Guyana.

The Bodleian copy has suffered in the past, water damage has stained the bottom corner while the dirty condition of the bottom of the map compared to the rest would suggest at some point the map has been displayed on a wall, with the bottom part the most accessible to leaning bodies and hands.

Tierra del Fuego from the bottom of the map, showing damage caused by being more accessible when hung on wall. Compare the image for Guyana to see difference in conditions. Tierra del Fuego also appeared in this blog Same but different | Bodleian Map Room Blog

*The British Library has made an excellent scan available here https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/50265464551