As promised another of the exceptional aquatint prints from James Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817. These prints are exceptional in themselves with excellent hand colour.  To give you more of an insight into the event as recorded I've shared a brief excerpt from the original written account published within Naval Achievements here below the print.  

​Engageante was captured, along with Pomone and Babet, off the Île de Batz during the Action of 23 April 1794. Her captor was HMS Concorde.... In the evening after the action Engageante's masts fell overboard, and Concorde's masts were kept upright only with great difficulty.

The naval campaigns, operations and battles of the Napoleonic Wars were events during the period between 1802 and 1814 that were undertaken by European powers in support of their land-based strategies.

As promised another of the exceptional aquatint prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815.  Below the print is a short excerpt from the original written account as published with the print.

In the Battle of Roliça an Anglo-Portuguese army under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an outnumbered Imperial French division under General of Division Henri François Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal. The French retired in good order. Formerly spelled Roleia in English, it was the first battle fought by the British army during the Peninsular War.

Above:​ Battle of Roleia Aug 17th 1808 from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815.

Excerpt from the written account as published:
THE BATTLE OF ROLEIA. The fore-ground in the annexed plate is occupied by a part of the enemy's force, consisting of the staff of the French General Laborde, who are reconnecting; while many of the troops are employed in carrying their wounded country men to the windmill which occupies so prominent a place in this part of the scene, and which the enemy made a depository for his sick and wounded. 
Extract from the Dispatch of Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, dated August 17, 1808.
The columns being formed, the troops moved from Obidos about seven o'clock in the morning. Brigadier-General Fane's riflemen were immediately detached on to the hills on the left of the valley, to keep up the communication between the centre and left columns, and to protect the march of the former along the valley, the enemy's posts being successively driven in. Major-General Hill's brigade, formed in three columns of battalions, moved on the right of the valley, supported by the cavalry, in order to attack the enemy's left; and Brigadier-Generals Nightingale and Crauford moved with the artillery along the high road, until at length the former formed in the plain immediately in the enemy's front, supported by the light infantry companies and the 45th regiment of Brigadier-General Crauford's brigade; while the two other regiments of this brigade (50th and 91st) and half of the nine-pounder brigade, were kept as a reserve in the rear. Major-General Hill and Brigadier-General Nightingale advanced upon the enemy's position; and at the same moment Brigadier-General Fane's riflemen were in the lills on his right, the Portuguese infantry in a village upon his left, and Major-General Ferguson's column was descending from the heights into the plain. . . .

How to Identify the Prints:
The original prints from The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815 are aquatint engravings on a medium weight wove paper. Plates also exist that were printed on India Paper. They should clearly identify bottom left W. Heath (delt) who did the drawings and bottom right T. Sutherland (sculpt) who produced most of the aquatint engravings with some by D. Havell, M. Dubourg and J. Hill.  Each plate has the date of publication and the name of the publisher beneath the engraved title.  The approx engraved area of the plates are 8.5" x 7.75" (215mm x 195mm) including the engraved title text.  Engraved plate mark area is approx 8.5 x 11.75 (215mm x 300mm).  The large sheet size is approx 11.5" x 14" (290mm x 355mm).

You can see more prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815  HERE.  If you're interested in a specific print and you cannot see it on my website please feel free to message me.

If you're new to map collecting then the subject of what kinds of maps to collect is a consideration.  In the last few posts we've been focused on a selection of what 'kinds' are available to collectors.  Hopefully this has at least given you some direction, or has made you aware of the possibilities.  Perhaps for the more technically minded or those simply seeking something different from the run of the mill maps, map projections are a niche within the antique map market that may interest you.

As paper maps are flat and the earth is roughly spherical shaped the flat map obviously cannot represent the earths surface exactly. This is where the so called 'projection' comes in.  Representations of the earths curved surface or forms of celestial spheres drawn on a flat surface are called projections.

​Todays post of another superb aquatint print from James Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain shows the Destruction of the French Fleet at Toulon.  In 1793 French Republican forces suppressed a royalist rebellion in the city of Toulon (the royalists were assisted by British, Spanish, Neapolitan and Pedmontese troops). As the city fell, however, the British used firships to destroy the French Republican fleet, as shown here. To give you even more of an insight into the event recorded I've shared a brief excerpt from the original written account published below the print.

Above: Destruction of the French Fleet at Toulon Dec 18th 1793 from The Naval achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1793 to 1817 by J. Jenkins.

Excerpt from the written account as published:
DESTRUCTION OF THE FRENCH FLEET AT TOULON: DECEMBER 18, 1793. The inhabitants of Toulon and Marseilles, under a disposition to be freed from the yoke of the Convention, entered into a negociation with Lord Hood, the British admiral then commanding in the Mediterranean, whereby the former town and its shipping were placed in the hands of the English in trust for Louis XVII. A large military force being sent by the revolutionary government against Toulon, Lord Hood found himself obliged to evacuate the place ; but in so doing he gave the first wound to the republican navy: ten ships of the line, besides frigates and smaller vessels, were destroyed, with an immense quantity of stores of every description; and three sail of the line, with some frigates, were added to the British fleet. 
Sir Sydney Smith arrived at the office of the principal Secretary of State on the 15th January, 1794, with a dispatch, of wbich the following is a copy:
                                                                                                                                                                           Victory, Hieres Bay, December 20, 1793. SIR, 
It is my duty to acquaint you, that I have been obliged to evacuate Toulon, and to retire from the harbour to this anchorage. It became unavoidably necessary that the retreat should not be deferred beyond the night of the 18th, as the enemy commanded the town and ships by their shot and shells: I therefore, agreeably to the governor's plan, directed the boats of the fleet to assemble by eleven o'clock, near fort La Malgue, and am happy to say the whole of the troops were brought off, to the number of near 8000, without the loss of a man; and in the execution of this service, I have infinite pleasure in acknowledging my very great obligations to Captain Elphinstone for his unremitting exertion, who saw the last man off; and it is a very comfortable satisfaction to me, that several thousands of the meritorious inhabitants of Toulon were sheltered in his Majesty's ships. 
I propose sending the Vice-Admirals Hotham and Crosby, with some other ships, to Leghorn or Porto Ferrara, to complete their wine and provisions, which run very short, having many mouths to feed; and to remain with the rest to block up the ports of Toulon and Marseilles. . . . 

How to Identify the Prints:
The original prints from "The Naval Achievements of Great Britain. From the Year 1793 to 1817" are aquatint engravings on a medium weight wove paper.  All the plates identify at bottom left Painted by T. Whitcombe and bottom right T. Sutherland (sculpt) who produced the aquatint engravings.  Some plates were engraved by Jeakes and Bailey after Whitcombe.  Each plate is accompanied by text pages describing the action, often with lists of ships captured or sunk, and excerpts from contemporary bulletins, dispatches, letters, and speeches.  The first edition appeared in 1817.  Early issues have watermarks of Whatman with the undated watermark IIS&S  on some plates. The vignette title page was uncoloured in the first issue.  The approx engraved image area of the plates are 7" x 10.25" (175mm x 260mm). Engraved plate mark area is approx 8.5 x 11.75 (215mm x 300mm). The folio sheet size is approx 11.5" x 14" (290mm x 355mm).

You can see more prints from Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817 HERE.  If you're interested in a specific print and you cannot see it on my website please feel free to message me.

For all the images that come my way as a map and print dealer its so often the little things that capture the attention and these delightful prints always get the thumbs up.  They are simply captivating with both adults and children.

At this time of year I always tend to post more of these images in my online shops as often people like to pick them up as small gifts for loved ones.  Just yesterday I had a lady in Italy purchase a dozen or so from me online.  You're not going to need to re-mortgage the house to buy these little gems and the market is full of later reproductions if thats all you want. The originals however seem to have something about them, almost a sense of 'time gone by' as the original coloured lithographs tend to warm with age.

First published in 1923 by Cicely Mary Barker the drawings were not only botanically accurate but also the fairy images were based on real children from Cicely's sister's nursery school. Originally accompanied by a poem or verse dedicated to the individual Flower Fairy the charming characters and detailed artwork have also been translated into fiction for young readers as well as the New York Times bestselling Fairyopolis series.

Cicely Mary Barker worked principally in watercolour with pen-and-ink, but she was equally competent in black-and-white, in oils, and in pastels. She carried a sketchbook with her for capturing interesting children. She once indicated, "I have always tried to paint instinctively in a way that comes naturally to me, without any real thought or attention to artistic theories"

Well I'm still enchanted by the fairies and as my sister often says to me "You're as old as your shoe size" lets face it growing up is so overrated!

Stay young and stay enchanted!   

​You can see more flower fairies over in my etsy shop HERE.

​Another of the exceptional aquatint prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815.  Below the print is a short excerpt from the original written account as published with the print.

The Battle of Montevideo was a battle between the British and Spanish Empires during the Napoleonic Wars, in which British forces captured the city of Montevideo. It formed part of the British invasions of the River Plate. Locally, it is remembered as the Siege of Montevideo (Spanish: Sitio de Montevideo).

​What Kind of antique maps are available to collectors?  In my previous post on the subject I highlighted river maps. Another subject that's collected by map enthusiasts is antique road maps. Way before google was around the Romans produced a pretty accurate map of the fifty thousand or more miles of roads in the Empire in around the third century.  Jump forward in time to the late seventeenth century and sheet maps showing post roads and 'cross-roads' in England and Wales appeared but were limited in detail.  One of the most popular for collectors nowadays first appeared in 1675 with John Ogilby inventing the 'strip map'.

As promised another of the exceptional aquatint prints from James Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817. These prints are exceptional in themselves with excellent hand colour.  To give you even more of an insight into the event recorded I've shared a brief excerpt from the original written account published below the print.  The naval campaigns, operations and battles of the Napoleonic Wars were events during the period between 1802 and 1814 that were undertaken by European powers in support of their land-based strategies.
​

​If you're new to collecting antique maps its unlikely that canal or river maps are going to be the first thing that springs to mind.  As I mentioned in a previous post just about every subject, size, shape, form and kind of antique map is out there if you look. This includes some exceptional and rare river maps. 

I've been fortunate to live near the river Thames near London on and off for most of my life.  Maybe you have a connection in your own past with a town or river that brings back fond memories perhaps from when you were growing up.  Do you now live near a famous river?  Do you know if any good antique maps of that river exist?  Its worth doing some research, a river map may be just what you want to add to your new collection. 

As promised another of the exceptional aquatint prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815.  Below the print is a short excerpt from the original written account as published with the print.

In 1800, after the failure of a descent on Cádiz, Spain, Abercrombie was ordered to Egypt to expel or destroy the army left there by Bonaparte.  Landing at Abū Qīr Bay on March 8, 1801, he advanced toward Alexandria.  A French attack before daybreak on March 21 was beaten back with heavy loss, but Abercrombie was mortally wounded.  He died on board the flagship Foudroyant and was buried at Malta.

As I mentioned previously understanding why a map was made, the lack of technologies at the time,  how a map fits in with the perceived geography, beliefs, social and cultural realities of a bygone era all has a bearing on how you view such a map today.  All these things can influence what maps we are personally attracted to. In  the last post we took a quick look at the ever popular hemisphere projections, always a winner. These maps effectively convert half of the spherical world to a circle. But hemispheres are just one kind of map.

Another favourite is Celestial Maps.  Mapping of the sky and its celestial bodies within star charts goes all the way back to Ptolemy who is credited with creating the first star catalogue around the year 150.  But the Golden Age of celestial cartography is roughly 1600 to 1800.  All benefiting from the technological advances in astronomical observations and printing techniques.  Many of the most notable star atlases and maps can cost thousands but there are many available at a reasonable price range for the novice collector with a celestial interest.
​

Here's the View of Gibraltar an original aquatint print from James Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817. These prints are exceptional in themselves with excellent hand colour.  To give you even more of an insight into the event recorded I've shared a brief excerpt from the original written account published below the print.

The naval campaigns, operations and battles of the Napoleonic Wars were events during the period between 1802 and 1814 that were undertaken by European powers in support of their land-based strategies.

Above: View of Gibralter from The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815 by J. Jenkins.

Excerpt from the written account as published: 
​A CONCISE ACCOUNT OF GIBRALTAR: GIBRALTAR is a part of Andalusia, the most southern province of Spain, to which it is connected by a low isthmus of sand. The rock is seven miles in circumference, forming a promontory three miles in length, and presenting the most singular natural appearance. It was distinguished in the earliest annals of European nations. It does not, however, appear that any of the ancients inhabited it: their knowledge and practice of the military art were not indeed suited to improve the natural advantages of such a place; these seem to have been disregarded till the beginning of the eighth century, when the Saracens invaded Spain, and subjugated the country. It remained in their hands till the commencement of the fourteenth century, when it was taken by Ferdinand, King of Castile, in whose possession it continued till Abomalique, son of the Emperor of Fez, arrived to the succour of the Moorish King of Grenada, who laid siege to the fortress, and in five months starved it into a surrender. The Emperor of Morocco next made himself master of it; but the King of Grenada having appeared before it the next year, with a powerful fleet and army, and having reduced the garrison to the greatest extremity for want of provisions, obliged them to submit. 
It remained in the quiet possession of the Spaniards till 1704, when it was unexpectedly wrested from them (and we trust for ever) by an English squadron under the command of that gallant and enterprising officer, Sir G. Rooke, who had been sent into the Mediterranean with a strong fleet to assist the Archduke . . .

How to Identify the Prints:
The original prints from "The Naval Achievements of Great Britain. From the Year 1793 to 1817" are aquatint engravings on a medium weight wove paper.  All the plates identify at bottom left Painted by T. Whitcombe and bottom right T. Sutherland (sculpt) who produced the aquatint engravings.  Some plates were engraved by Jeakes and Bailey after Whitcombe.  Each plate is accompanied by a text page describing the action, often with lists of ships captured or sunk, and excerpts from contemporary bulletins, dispatches, letters, and speeches.  The first edition appeared in 1817.  Early issues have watermarks of Whatman with the undated watermark IIS&S  on some plates. The vignette title page was uncoloured in the first issue.  The approx engraved image area of the plates are 7" x 10.25" (175mm x 260mm). Engraved plate mark area is approx 8.5 x 11.75 (215mm x 300mm). The folio sheet size is approx 11.5" x 14" (290mm x 355mm).

You can see more prints from Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817 HERE  If you're interested in a specific print and you cannot see it on my website please feel free to message me .

One size fits all! That may be true with many things in this life but you'll quickly realise that its not the case with antique maps. In fact its more a case of every size, shape, form, subject, appearance and kind of antique map is out there if you have a look around.  This obviously makes the issue of what to collect somewhat daunting on one level, but on another level you could say you're spoilt for choice.

Understanding why a map was made, the available technology of the time and the maps accuracy is important.  How it fits in with the perceived geography, beliefs, social and cultural realities of a bygone era can also have a bearing on how we view such a map today.  All these things can influence what maps we are personally attracted to.  The where, why and how has its place, but at its core map collecting is a matter of the heart.  So to keep this as simple as possible if you're new to map collecting, exactly what kinds of maps are on offer?  Well,  a list would do but I doubt it would mean much, so I'll spread it over more than one post. 

As promised another of the exceptional aquatint prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815.  Below the print is a short excerpt from the original written account as published with the print.

The landing of the British expeditionary force under Sir Ralph Abercrombie was intended to defeat or drive out an estimated 21,000 remaining troops of Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Egypt. The fleet commanded by Baron Keith included seven ships of the line, five frigates and a dozen armed corvettes. With the troop transports, it was delayed in the bay for several days by strong gales and heavy seas before disembarkation could proceed.

​Interest in armed conflict with stories of campaigns and battles and the continuing assessment of leaders, tactics and their strategy remains ever popular with military history enthusiasts, historical reenactment groups and antique print collectors.

In the coming weeks I'm going to share with you some of the exceptional aquatint prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815 and Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817. With each print I'll share a brief extract from the original written account published.

This covers the Napoleonic Wars (May 1803 - November 1815). This series of major conflicts pitted the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European powers formed into various coalitions. It produced a brief period of French domination over most of continental Europe.  Along with the French Revolutionary wars, the Napoleonic Wars constitute a 23-year period of recurrent conflict that concluded only with the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s second abdication on June 22, 1815.

The naval campaigns, operations and battles of the Napoleonic Wars were events during the period between 1802 and 1814 that were undertaken by European powers in support of their land-based strategies.

Above: The Vignette Title from The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815 by J. Jenkins.
Excerpt from the written account as published: 
REPRESENTS a Rendezvous of those Powers who were engaged in the grand struggle for the independence of nations. A British Soldier, in pointing to the MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND HER ALLIES, alludes to the active part this country has taken in the deliverance of Europe.

At the feet of the British Soldier preposes a French Warrior, tired of the repeated and decisive defeats he has at length met with under an illegitimate master. The broken Flag-Staff and the Imperial Eagle inform us, that the power of the once invincible Buonaparte is no more.

On the left is a Don Cossac, who is coolly stopping his horse to gaze on his vanquished enemy: he is attended by an Austrian and a Swede, who are also contemplating those records, which will, in common with the other Powers of Europe, hand down their deeds to posterity. A Prussian, on the right, seems willing to accede to the share of glory which the British Soldier demands; conscious, that he also has saved his country from the despotism of a tyrannical usurper.

How to Identify the Prints:
The original prints from The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815 are aquatint engravings on a medium weight wove paper. Plates also exist that were printed on India Paper. They should clearly identify bottom left W. Heath (delt) who did the drawings and bottom right T. Sutherland (sculpt) who produced most of the aquatint engravings with some by D. Havell, M. Dubourg and J. Hill.  Each plate has the date of publication and the name of the publisher beneath the engraved title.  The approx engraved area of the plates are 8.5" x 7.75" (215mm x 195mm) including the engraved title text.  Engraved plate mark area is approx 8.5 x 11.75 (215mm x 300mm).  The large sheet size is approx 11.5" x 14" (290mm x 355mm).

​You can see more prints from Jenkins The Martial achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815 and Jenkins The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817 HERE If you're interested in a specific print and you cannot see it on my website please feel free to message me .