1839-1856 Sydow-Perthes SET OF SIX WALL MAPS Enormous! World, Continents, Very Scarce and Very Well Preserved! Start Price USD 599.99 Current Price USD 599.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, September 07, 2008 End Time Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Location Indianapolis, IN See more about '1839-1856 Sydow-Perthes SET OF SIX WALL MAPS Enormous!' Description Emil von Sydow's Schulmethodischer Wand-Atlas Set of Six Chromolithograph Wall Maps, Mounted on Linen, Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1839-1856 We are pleased to offer this scarce and important collection of six original mid-19th Century wall maps (Espenhorst PP Vol II 38.1) compiled by the renowned Prussian military officer and cartographer Emil von Sydow (1812-1873) and issued by the firm of Justus Perthes, the publishers of the legendary Stieler family of atlases.  Assigned to teach geography to the Royal 8th Division in Erfurt, Sydow observed that quality wall maps covering the entire world were simply not available and resorted to drawing continent maps on the blackboard for his lectures.  To rectify this situation, he began with a map of Asia which he had lithographed at his own expense by the Uckermann firm in Erfurt and presented it to the Perthes firm for possible publication in 1838.  Initially reluctant to proceed with the project, the Perthes firm finally went forward with publication of the Asia map in January of 1839 with more maps following in the years thereafter until 1856 when the series terminated with publication of the Australia map.  These enormous folding maps are composed of multiple lithograph sheets mounted on linen and depict elevations through different shades of brown and green, and are pioneering works in the use of lithographic colour printing in cartography.  While Sydow went on to publish other maps and atlases with the Perthes firm, it was for his wall maps that without question he was best known.  These wall maps were so well received in academia and the military that when Sydow died prematurely of cholera in 1873 none other than Field Marshall von Moltke wrote an obituary stating that Sydow's "reputation in geography as a scholarly authority was forever secure."  Very few examples of these wall maps survive, and to find a collection in such good condition as this group is uncommon to say the least.  One striking aspect of the maps is that Sydow's decision to not depict political borders has resulted in maps that not only will never be obsolete, but also has produced maps of uncommon beauty and elegant design.  We begin our survey of the maps with the Asia map that began the series in 1839, a twelve sheet map measuring an impressive 150 cm x 139 cm:   Taking a closer look at the map we see the fine detail of sea depth and topography including miniscule hachure work and delicately shaded colour.  Note Aral Sea at its full size before its virtual destruction in the 20th century under the Soviet regime - an environmental disaster that can be reversed: Sydow was assisted on the maps by members of the Stieler team from Justus Perthes including the renowned Friedrich von Stülpnagel (1786-1865) and Johann Christoph Bär (1789-1848), the latter of whom helped refine the projection and grid of the map.  To get a sense of both the minute detail and the immense size of these maps, consider that the distance from Hyderabad (shown abbreviated as Hydrb - nearly all cities are abbreviated) to Kolkata (or Calcutta, here shown as "Clctt") measures 14 cm actual size: Note the 1:8000000 scale - impressive indeed for a map of the entire Asian continent.  This example is the third edition of the map issued in 1854, although revisions from the first state are minimal: 1839 also saw the publication of an Africa map - a map that reveals the remarkable lack of European knowledge of the African interior in the mid 19th century, with the Lakes Region almost wholly uncharted.  This fascinating map measures 124 cm x 113 cm: Lake Malawi is not shown, as David Livingston did not arrive on its shores until 1859 and nothing whatsoever is mapped for the region of Lake Victoria: Likewise the source of the Nile is left to speculation: Note speculative river courses in Western Africa: The following year, 1840, saw publication of this massive world map which measures 161 x 135 cm.  The map presents two hemispheres, twin mountain range profiles scaled to 25000 feet, polar maps and a Mercator projection of wind and ocean currents: Notations of boundaries of "wine", "bananas" etc.: Note SOUTHERN limits for "moose and bear": Later in 1840 the maps of North and South America appeared, both of which are present in this collection with the North America map measuring 106 x 98 cm: Turning to the Pacific Northwest we find a notation for Victoria on Vancouver Island which indicates that this edition of the map was revised and printed sometime after 1849 as the city did not exist when the first edition of the map was issued in 1840.   Note depiction of Grand Banks: South America is the smallest of the collection but still weighs in at 103 x 74 cm: Amazon basin: Finally, the Australia and Polynesia map which was issued in 1856 and measures 132 x 100 cm.  Although more wall maps were planned, this was the last of the series that Sydow produced.  The map is notable for its vast regions of uncharted territory in the Australian interior: Colonial colour chart: Some minor inaccuracies in New Guinea coastline still present: Inset charts and views of Whitsunday Islands and Bora Bora: New Zealand shows Lyttleton, Dunedin on the South Island: : Even NSW is somewhat tentatively mapped: Condition - Please note carefully:  As noted these wall maps are remarkably well preserved - overall condition should be judged from photos.  There is some minor soiling, a few areas of abrasion, some minor separation at folds with a few tiny tears but nothing significant at all.  Some of the maps are a bit "rumpled" where the linen has been folded in an area other than a seam joining the paper panels; this is not a permanent condition and will straighten if pressed or even simply hung (maps have linen "hooks").  The Europe and Germany wall maps issued by Sydow during the period are not present.  As a group the condition of these Sydow-Perthes wall maps is the finest of any examples we have seen - the few surviving examples are typically in derelict condition after long classroom use.  A unique and important contribution to 19th century geography, these maps will make an important addition to any institutional or private collection.   Inquiries welcome and we encourage you to visit our other auctions on eBay. 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